The Legend of Zelda: Sacred Reliquary
by Sharper Than the Sword
Summary: This is not the Hyrule you know. An ageless Princess rules from cold spires high above, a dark horror stalks the nights, a small band of rebels fights for the people, and a ruthless warrior named Ganondorf thirsts for the blood of nobles.
1. Chapter 1

In contrast to my two previous comedic stories, here comes another longer, and more serious, story.

* * *

1

A Familiar Visitor. A Sudden Deluge. A Horror.

* * *

Hovering in the realm between wakefulness and sleep, Zelda hears the call.

It does not take the form of words, but instead a gentle tugging at the back of her mind, a lingering desire, a forgotten responsibility.

For a few moments, she contemplates ignoring it. After all, she is under no obligation, and surely whatever it is can wait until it is lighter outside and much warmer and when she isn't quite so comfortable underneath the fine silk sheets. But she knows that if she does ignore it, she will never get to sleep.

So she throws aside the covers and wraps herself in a heavy fur overcoat and, after a few moment's thought, brings her gleaming, ornate rapier with her.

In the deep of the night, few guards roam the castle. Those that see her acknowledge her but ask no questions, knowing they will get no answers. For the most part, everybody in Hyrule spends the nights hidden away in the warmest, safest place they can find. They stay away from the windows and never, ever go outside.

Dark things roam the night. And if you step out into that darkness you may disappear, never to return.

Zelda climbs flights of spiral staircases, up and up from tower to tower until at last she is at the very top of her castle, and she braces herself and steps outside into the freezing night air.

This far above Hyrule, the air is freezing, and a few tiny snowflakes dance is the breeze that whips up the hems of her coat and chills her beneath the nightgown she is wearing underneath.

She looks down at the city, sprawled out infinitesimally far, far, far below her. She is at the highest point, as high as the tallest mountain peaks, and she knows that in the dank depths of the city it is humid and warm and great fat bloated beasts make their homes in the places where it is always night time.

"What do you want now?" she asks the swirling winds and snowflakes, and the winds answer her.

"He is coming." It is a deep voice, at once calm, wise, and menacing.

Zelda turns and perched on the lip of the balcony like some great hulking statue is the biggest man she has ever seen. He is clad in magnificent armor that is pitch-black and gilded with gold, and the chill wind carries his long red hair tied back in a ponytail into the flutterings of the ornate cape he wears, decorated in graceful patterns of scarlet and gold. His skin is dark but his eyes are bright.

"Who is coming?" Zelda is unintimidated by Ganondorf and his calculatedly threatening demeanour. She wonders often how he acts among those friends of his in the city spread out before them, way down below in the parts where people wake up and are never sure if they will live through the day. She wonders if they know that during the nights when the city sleeps he wends his way up and up and up into the highest spires where the air is cold and the people even colder.

"I… I don't know," Ganondorf says after a time. "Not exactly. But I do know that there are two of us now, and there should be three, and the third is coming. Very soon- maybe even tonight."

Zelda flexes her right hand absentmindedly. The golden mark that glowed there had been tingling with power all week, growing stronger by the day. She knew that the matching one on the back of Gandondorf's right hand was illuminated also. "So what will you do?" She asks. "What will you do when Courage shows up at last? Try to induct him into your little band of friends with a taste for the blood of nobles? Storm up here and claim my crown for yourself?"

"I just may," says Ganondorf dangerously.

Zelda tightens her grip on her rapier. "Why not try right now? What's stopping you?"

He frowns, and she watches him for even a flicker of movement, waiting for even the slightest twitch of his hands towards the broadsword at his waist, but he does not move even in the slightest. Instead, he says mournfully, "What happened, Zelda? How did things end up this way?"

She chooses not to remark on this. The wind howls again, carrying more swirls of snow with it. "The snow is beautiful in the night-time," she says.

"I'll be seeing it later tonight. As rain," Ganondorf responds coldly.

"Why did you come here?" Zelda asks.

"I'm having my doubts." He levers himself up on the edge of the balcony, a single degree away from falling over. "I certainly can't be here any longer. If the bearer of Courage is to even live through this night in our fair city, then something must be done to protect him from whatever monstrosity lurks in Hyrule's depths. Not that you would be aware of that," he adds scornfully, "Up here, so far above the dangers of the darkness."

"Goodbye," Zelda says, without a hint of malice.

Ganondorf seems taken aback, but only for an instant. "Yes," he says, "Goodbye. Until we meet again."

And then he tips himself just that one single degree, and falls smoothly off the edge of the balcony and out of sight.

Zelda watches him land gracefully on another ledge countless stories down, and then jump again, falling heavily with his ornate cape trailing behind him like some bizarre plumage, buffeted by the winds.

"Goodbye, old friend," she repeats softly, before retreating eagerly into the welcoming warmth of her own bed.

* * *

Deep within the blanketing darkness of the trees, between the shadows of trunks and branches, a warm light flickered.

Link saw it and rode towards it, urging Epona away from the beaten forest path and towards the firelight. A novice woodsman would have said that there was no way to fit a horse and rider through the narrow spaces between the trees, but Link spotted the gaps and so did Epona, and the two navigated the brush with practiced ease.

He dismounted and stepped into the ring of light cast by the fire. There was a single, thin man seated at the fire's edge, and beside him was an enormous pack at least twice his size.

"Hey," Link said. "Can I sit?"

The man turned to look at him, revealing serene eyes and a wide grin. Link wasn't sure is he was reassured or creeped out. "Certainly, certainly," he said, "I am always glad to meet a Hero on a journey."

"Hero?" Link said, bemused, "Hardly."

"Perhaps you just don't know it yet," the strange man offered. "After all, a Hero needs a Quest, and you can hardly be a Hero if you haven't got your Quest just yet!" He had the unmistakeable air of someone who has just proven their point.

"Could be I don't want a Quest."

"But you will soon have one. Is violence justified for the sake of what is right? Can a good person still commit evil deeds? How far will you go to stop a friend who has strayed from the light? Do you trust your comrades enough to leave your life in their hands? Can you face the darkness in your own heart and prevail? All of these, Hero, are question that you must ask yourself."

"I think you've made a mistake," Link said simply.

"I don't make mistakes," the man said warmly. "Here. Have a present."

He turned around and dug through his pack for a few moments before withdrawing something colourful and pointy and tossing it onto Link's lap. He picked it up and looked at it. "What is…"

It was a mask. Heart shaped and edged with wooden spikes, its two yellow eyes glared out at him from patterns in purple and red. "I daresay you've earned it," the strange man said.

"Earned it…?" Link was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing. Why don't you put it with those other little keepsakes of yours?"

In his pack, Link had a pouch that was filled with odd little trinkets he had collected. If you'd asked him where he'd gotten them, he wouldn't be able to tell you, but he hung on to them regardless. There was a gleaming silver ocarina, a battered conductor's baton, an oddly-shaped rock gilt with strange orange designs, and an hourglass with no sand inside it. There were only two souvenirs that he found he actually ever used: the strange green had that he wore out of habit, and the strange, shining sword that felt so very light in his hands.

He took the strange mask, because it felt right to do so.

"Would you like something to eat?" The smiling man asked, and Link looked up from the mask to see a rabbit roasting over the fire, something that had certainly not been there before.

The two shared the food in silence. When they had finished, the smiling man stood up and shouldered his pack like it was nothing. "I really must be going now," he said. "But I will see you again Hero, and perhaps sooner than you think. It is best that you move on, too- there is a storm coming. Continue on down the road and you will find shelter."

Almost as if it is spurred on by his words, Link feels a droplet of water splash against the back of his hand.

"Go on then, Hero, go find your quest."

The man with the eerie grin and the enormous pack disappeared into the darkness of the forest, leaving Link alone in the flickering firelight and the increasing rain.

By the time he had mounted Epona and guided her back to the forest path, the rain had become a steady downpour. By the time he had ridden ten minutes down the road, it beat heavily on his head and he spurred his mount onwards. By the time the trees began to thin and the path grew wider, the rain was a deluge, and Epona clipped along at a gallop.

At once he broke out of the wood and into the open, a boom of thunder marking his passage. He was at the edge of a vast field that seemed to stretch on forever, marked in the centre by a single, gargantuan edifice.

As he made out its silhouette against the flashes of lightning that lit the sky, he saw towering spires, vaulting rooftops, and high walls. It was a city, the biggest city he had ever seen. As he grew closer the city loomed large in his vision- He craned his head and could not see the tops of the high towers, and the massive walls that circled the city dominated his vision and lost their curve.

The city was ringed with a vast moat, a deep river that split in two to form the island in the center upon which it rested. Water poured from drainage holes in the wall to join the rain splashing into the river below, and countless bridges spanned the gap to disappear into doorways of varying sizes.

He crossed a stone bridge. The night was so dark, and the downpour so torrential, that there was a point at the middle where he could not see the city walls looking ahead, could not see the filed looking back, and could not see the river rushing by below.

Link came to an alcove in the wall, dismounted, and knocked. He waited, and when there was no answer, pounded on the door again.

"Is it…?" He said, and then pulled on the thick wooden door with all his might. There was a ponderous creaking, and it swung open slowly, on rusty hinges. "…unlocked," he finished.

As soon as the door is open, Epona reared up on her hind legs, eyes wild with fear.

"Whoah! Calm down, girl, calm down… hey! No!"

The horse bucked back as he tried to grab the reins, and then she was gone, turning and galloping headlong away from the open doorway. His battered pack fell and lay sodden in the rain.

Link knew better than to go after her. He shouldered the pack wearily, and then turned and stepped through the doorway.

The stone walls that ringed the city were think enough that Link got the impression of walking through a long dark tunnel. At last, he stepped out the other side and into the city itself.

Rainwater was everywhere, ankle-deep on the streets, pouring from gutters, dripping down from rooftop to rooftop. It was an odd sensation, to have there be buildings everywhere he looked, streets deserted and droplets of water flickering in the firelight of unattended torches.

Every house he passed was boarded up. The neighbourhood he was in looked shabby and mismatched, and he could tell that the occupants were simply getting by with whatever they had at hand.

He walked aimlessly through the streets, soaked to the bone, searching for an inn or tavern. At one point he crossed over a stone walkway that revealed countless more buildings spread out far below him, and he realized that the city was built deep into the earth as well as high into the sky. Rainwater ran from the streets above to the ones he walked now, and from those down and down until it reached its final destination, untold leagues below.

He was just pondering this when he thought he saw something move in the shadows behind him. He whirled, hand on the hilt of his sword, but saw nothing.

Link relaxed.

Something hit him, hard, in the back and sent him flying forward to land hard on the cobblestones, tumbling end over end until he righted himself and stood, drawing his sword in one easy motion.

There was nothing.

Still on guard, Link turned in a full circle, eyes searching the darkness for any hint of movement.

Something hulking and dark and slick with runoff poured out of an alleyway and batted him aside easily, throwing Link into an unyielding stone wall.

"What the hell?" He raised his sword high in the darkness, and the magical glow of the blade revealed something he wished he had never seen.

It seemed to be made out of nothing but darkness itself, many-legged and fluid, incapable of remaining in one solid form. Bright glowing eyes flashed crimson and yellow, and below the eyes a horrible maw yawned open, revealing too many enormous pointed teeth that shone too brightly against the darkness of the monster.

The thing lunged at him, reptilian and lightning-fast, and anybody else would have been dead.

As it was, Link barely flung himself out of the way, and didn't even think about trying to fight the hideous thing that was impossible to look at. He turned and ran headlong down streets he didn't know, turning down every alley and trying to make his path as erratic as possible.

He heard footsteps behind him, footsteps that were far too light and fast and close, and then the thing lunged again, missing Link and crashing to the street with a thunderous sound that couldn't have possibly been made by something with footsteps so light.

Link slipped on the slick cobblestones, falling and then scrambling to his feet and running again, not daring to look behind him.

But then the shadows ahead wavered, and the horrible dark thing was flowing out of them now and it was no longer the sick reptilian beast but Link himself, and it disarmed him easily with a flick of its ghostly sword, and swept out its legs from beneath him with an easy kick.

On his back, Link felt a foot on his chest. This was no boot, but a great heavy clawed foot, and the thing had once again assumed a gargantuan, many-legged form. He saw red-and-yellow eyes flicker and the slavering jaws open wide enough to swallow him whole and knew that he was going to die in this strange and infinite city-

A ball of fire arced lazily out of the darkness and hit the thing in the spot where its face should have been.

The beast screeched in rage and looked up, only to be pelted in the face by fire once more. Enraged, the thing charged forward at its unseen enemy, only to be met and thrown backwards.

Link scrambled to his feet and turned. There, in the rain, was a strange creature floating in midair and cursing fluidly. It conjured another ball of fire and hurled it at the fallen monster. Standing in front of the creature was a white-haired man outfitted with rusty armour and an equally rusty spear, and an enormous hulking man in a travelling cloak, wielding a broadsword at least as long as Link was tall.

He couldn't believe it- they were fighting the creature and _they were winning_.

But then the thing leapt from the shadows behind them, and they scattered- the tiny floating creature swearing like Link had never heard, the white-haired man falling hard to the ground, and the giant landing on his feet and skidding to a stop next to Link.

He turned and shouted at Link. "For the love of the Gods, grab your sword and _run_!"

Before Link knew it, the monster was right in front of him and he had caught its advance with the flat of his broadsword. He struggled against the beast that was many times his own size, and then with a cry dropped and rolled and shrugged its weight off him and into what appeared to be a closed-down fruit stall.

"Follow me!"

Link sprinted after the giant, snatching up his sword from where it had fallen as he ran by it. There was a howl of pain and rage, and he knew that the monstrosity was following them.

The fire-conjuring creature floated by them, facing backwards and sitting on nothing. "Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go! Let's get the hell out of here!" It continued to pitch fireballs, the whole time swearing in a high-pitched, feminine voice that did not at all suit the language that most sailors would be ashamed of.

"Where's Viscen?" The giant man demanded, turning down a side alley.

"I don't know! Who cares! Leave him!" The foul-mouthed creature bellowed. "He's dead!"

"I most certainly am not." The white-haired man vaulted from a rooftop and landed smoothly in front of them, falling into step effortlessly. "And… turn!"

The giant grabbed Link and yanked him down another alley, while the man called Viscen just plucked the tiny creature out of the air and, to its great displeasure, flung it bodily after them.

There was another screech and a crash of effortlessly shattered stone, and the shadow beast came at them from the direction they had just been running.

"If you throw me again-" the creature began, but stopped in time to blast a chunk of flying masonry out of the air. "- I will take that rusty spear and shove it-"

"We're almost there!" the giant man yelled. "Get ready!"

"Give me some cover!" The creature floated on ahead of them, tracing odd designs in the air and leaving fiery lines. It was fighting one-handed now, throwing fireballs with one hand and creating glowing designs in mid-air with the other.

"You! New guy!" Viscen yelled.

"New guy?" Link repeated.

"On three," the giant commanded, "We turn and fight."

"Fight that thing!" Link yelled. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Show some courage!" he yelled back. "Are you going to leave our fair lady defenceless?"

"Lady?" Link repeated, bemused.

"One!" the giant shouted.

"You're god-damned right," the fireball creature said.

"Two!"

Link saw that they were now standing in front of a pub, and that the door to the pub was throw wide, golden light spilling out into the darkness.

"Three!"

As one, Link, Viscen, and the giant turned. At that exact same time, the creature stopped conjuring fireballs and started chanting something he couldn't make out.

The shadow-thing loomed large, in the form of some taloned, winged beast, and Link slashed at it with his sword. The glittering blade sliced cleanly through one of the extending limbs, but two more grew in its place and sliced down on Link's left arm, breaking it easily.

The killing blow never came, deflected barely by the giant's broadsword. Another phantom limb sliced through his travelling cloak, the blow glancing off armour beneath with a shower of sparks. Viscen threw his spear and it lodged just below what could be called the thing's head, and it howled and dove at them-

The creature was shouting now, and the giant roared- "DOWN!" And the two crashed down on top of Link, on top of his broken arm, and the pain almost drove him into unconsciousness, but he hung on to his senses.

Fire, incredible amounts of fire, roared out from the tiny creature and slammed into the raging shadow. It screeched in agony as rolling flames threw the shabby street into sharp relief, lighting up the spot in front of the pub as if it were daytime.

Link imagined that he got a glimpse of something insubstantial- that in that moment, the monster was as solid as a ghost- but then it screamed one last time, and disappeared into the rain.

Clutching the sword to his chest with his good arm, Link was dragged into the pub wounded, tired, and chilled to the bone. The inside was warm, and his vision of it flickered and faded.

He saw Viscen's face clearly, white-haired and grizzled.

Beneath the giant's cloak were bright eyes, dark skin, and an angular red beard.

The fireball creature was imp-like, with an oversized stone helm that covered half her face and a plume of hair that looked like flames.

"Lay him down, lay him down," a matronly voice was saying.

"I can't believe that just happened," Viscen gasped. "I can't believe we just did that."

"Rest now," the giant said. "All of you. We're here for the night, so we might as well."

The last thing Link heard before he slept was the imp-creature. "I hate you," she was saying. "I hate you all so much."

* * *

I don't really have much to say about this story right now.

That is, there's not much I could say without spoiling it right now.

For now, just enjoy, and please review to let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

The biggest liberty I'm taking with this story is redefining all the characters' personalitites. But there is method to the madness: All of the characters still possess a few key traits that I feel define them, and a lot of this story is an exploration of how they would act under different circumstances.

...oh, was that a clue...?

* * *

Telma's Bar. The Gerudo. A Shadow Mage.

* * *

He wasn't sure if it was the rolling thunder or the thudding pain that had woken him up.

Link shifted around, and realized that he was lying on a poorly made bed, in a decidedly shabby room. Golden light filtered through the floorboards, and he could make out the sound of voices down below. He was in a room above the tavern, he realized, and when he stood to get up he realized that his arm was bound in a makeshift sling.

The stairs creaked when he descended into the well-lit pub, sparsely populated with clientele either hunched over their drinks or sleeping quietly at tables. Link spotted Viscen propped between two chairs snoring quietly.

"Oh, what are you doing! Go back to sleep! Now!" A heavyset woman stormed out from behind the bar, waving her arms at Link. "That arm is broken! You can't be moving around with-"

"Let him do what he wants, Telma," said a commanding voice. Link recognised it as coming from the giant man who had saved him earlier, who was reclining in a chair with his feet on a table and sipping something steaming out of a chipped mug.

"…Fine," the bartender relinquished after a while. "But drink this!" she added, pouring Link a mug of tea and adding a generous helping of whiskey. "For the pain," she added, pushing the mug into his hands.

Link took a drink and grimaced.

"Doesn't mix too well, does it?" the giant man laughed at him. "That's Telma's cure for everything. Tea and whiskey." He raised his own mug before taking another drink.

Link sat down at the same table and saw that the imp girl was seated there as well. Instead of a mug of Telma's cure-all, however, she was working her way through a pint of beer, a pile of mashed potatoes, and a large steak. He never would have guessed that someone so small could go through so much food.

"Couldn't sleep?" the big man remarked.

"No," Link answered trying not to jostle his broken arm. "What about you two?"

"Keeping watch," he said, taking another sip. Link noticed that he was staring at the boarded up windows.

The imp cursed. "Night time is me time," she moaned. "Not you time. Me time. And you are _ruining_ it."

"Ah… um… I'm sorry?" Link offered.

"Don't mind Midna," the other man told him, "You'll get used to her incessant chirping soon enough."

"I dream about killing you," Midna chirped incessantly.

"My name is Ganondorf," he said, ignoring her. "It's unfortunate that we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"Link," he introduced himself, reaching out with his right arm to shake hands. When his hand grasped Ganondorf's right, he felt a sharp pain in his left. "Ow!"

"Something wrong?" Ganondorf asked.

"Sorry… just my arm, I think."

"Soft," Midna, said, none too subtly.

"You mustn't forget," Ganondorf told her, "That his wound was inflicted protecting you from harm. You should be more appreciative."

"You should quit going out of your way to get us killed," Midna retorted between mouthfuls of food. "Seriously, what were you thinking? Risking our lives going out at night for some kid."

"What was that thing, anyways?" Link asked. "That… monster. It looked like it was made out of shadows."

Midna stopped eating. "What? You don't know?"

"I've never been here before."

"Never been where? Telma's place?"

"Here." He waved his good arm. "This city."

The one eye that was not hidden by Midna's helm widened even further. "You've never been to Hyrule before?"

"I'd never even heard of it."

She gaped. "My whole life I've lived here. I've never even been outside the city. When I was young I didn't even know there was an outside the city. Where did you come from?"

Link opened his mouth to answer, but then found that he didn't really know how to respond. He furrowed his brow, trying to think.

"That's not important," Ganondorf answered for him, swiftly changing the subject. "That thing that attacked you, Link, is the reason that nobody in Hyrule goes outside at night."

"But what is it, exactly?"

Midna shrugged. "Darkness. Who knows? It's been here as long as anybody can remember, and nobody's been able to kill it-" Here she shot Ganondorf a peculiar look- "And there aren't a lot of things that our boss can't kill."

"Boss?" Link asked. "What are you, like a gang?"

"Link, you've just arrived in this city," Ganondorf explained, calculating his words with purpose. "You don't know what life is like here. Midna and Viscen and I, we've lived our whole life here, in the slums- lived the lives that the countless masses are forced to lead at the expense of the nobility."

"Are the people here repressed?"

Now Midna's eyes narrowed, too. "They live far above us, secure in their towers. They never have to worry about living through the night, or scraping up enough food to make it through the day. Every single citizen of Hyrule is taxed by a government that does nothing in return."

Ganondorf leaned forward over the table, all semblance of warmth gone. There was a dispassionate coldness in his voice, one that made Link realize that perhaps the man really was as dangerous as Midna said. "Ours is a group that reclaims what belongs to the people. The bourgeoisie take advantage of the lower classes incessantly. They live a life of privilege and luxury while we live and die in poverty. It's been too long, and nobody has done anything about it until now- until us."

Midna laughed, and Link realized it was the first time since meeting her that he had ever heard her laugh. He was very aware that the two people seated at the table with him were not those he wanted to cross. "Ee hee. Gerudo," she said softly.

The dark man echoed her laugh, but it was softer, almost gentle. "Gerudo. They were a race of people who farmed the plains surrounding the city of Hyrule. There was a drought- long, debilitating. The Gerudo people and their king came to the city, asked to be allowed inside, asked for aid from the princess high in her cold tower-"

At the mention of 'the princess,' Midna's hands clenched, and the table shook slightly with an unseen energy.

"-but she ignored their pleas. The drought did not end. The Gerudo starved to death out on the plains, and one more time their king came into the city. Humble, alone. He bowed down before the princess, and asked once more for aid. And do you know what she did?"

Ganondorf had spoken quietly throughout, but his eyes glared brightly from beneath the hood of his cloak, and the drink in his hands shook as he raised it to his lips. Link was almost afraid to ask him. "What did she do?"

"She demanded money," Ganondorf said calmly. "She demanded payment from the Gerudo king, she refused to help a hundred thousand dying people unless each one paid her for her aid. She wanted MONEY!" He roared.

"And so we take their name, and fight on in their memory," Midna finished for him. "And in the memory of the other peoples who have fallen after them. The Minish. The Sheikah…"

"The Twili," said Ganondorf solemnly.

"The Twili," Midna repeated, and Link almost didn't hear her, so quiet was her voice.

"But how long ago did all this happen?" he asked. "I understand that you can't forget the past. But this princess… she must be long dead…"

"You'd think so," Ganondorf laughed again, humourlessly. "The Gerudo people died out more centuries ago. But the same princess still lives and breathes high above this city, at this very moment.

"But that's impossible," Link said.

"One would think," Midna drawled. "But evidence remains to the contrary. I am one of the last of the Twili people, and the records of our race refer to the same princess. As do those of the Minish."

A sense of dread pervaded the room. Even Telma at the bar seemed tense. "How old is she?"

"As old as the city of Hyrule itself," said Ganondorf. "She is the cause of the corruption, the ignorance, and the darkness that overwhelms this city. As long as she rules, the people of the lower city can never breathe free, never hope to die anything other than a pauper. As the Gerudo, we will put an end to the suffering."

"You mean…?"

Ganondorf spoke with a smile on his face. "I am going to kill the Princess Zelda. And I would very much appreciate it if you joined me."

* * *

"Thank you very much for the food and shelter, Telma."

"Oh, I can't possibly take this. You know that you three are always welcome to whatever you like here."

Telma pushed Ganondorf's money back across the bar to him. Link noticed that, in addition to paying for the food, drinks, and privilege of staying the night, he had also left her a very generous tip.

Ganondorf pushed the money right back. "I insist. What are we liberating these funds for, if not to be given back to the people who deserve them?"

"Just take it," Viscen smiled wearily, as if he had been through this same routine many times before. "We don't need to be treated any differently."

Midna floated over to Link and leaned into his ear. "This happens every time. Nobody ever wants to charge us for anything, and Ganondorf never lets us accept anything for free. This should take about fifteen minutes."

True to Midna's prediction, it was at least fifteen minutes later when they left Telma's bar and stepped out into the morning light. The rain from the night before had left the air chill and the streets damp, but already the streets were busy with people going about their business.

"First thing's first," Ganondorf said, "You are welcome to join the Gerudo if you like."

"What!" Midna burst out. "Hey, we just met this guy like ten hours ago. What's the deal?"

"He is still alive," Viscen observed. "After meeting that shadow in the night, this is a significant accomplishment."

"Yeah, he's alive because we saved his ass," she retorted.

"Midna," said Ganondorf. "I believe that Link can help us. And so I am offering him a chance to join us. It is up to him to choose."

"But…" Midna glared at Link with clear distrust on her face.

"I trust Ganondorf's judgment," Viscen spoke as if this settled the matter. "And I know that you do, too."

"…fine." She crossed her tiny arms.

"You don't have to decide right now, Link." He noticed that Ganondorf was leading them down, deeper into the city. "But I would like you to see a few things before you do make your decision."

As they descended further, Link saw that the pools left by the rain had not dried in several places. In many spots, runoff from the upper levels was still pouring down and adding to the dampness. Tiny rivulets flowed downwards and joined others, becoming veritable streams running through the city.

"Whatever you do," Midna smirked, "don't drink the water."

Eventually they came to what could only be described as an amalgam.

It was the cobbled together-remains of several shattered buildings. Link saw walls made out of brick, wood, stone, marble, and numerous other materials. The roof was a patchwork of thousands of different tiles of all sizes, and the construction did not seem to be put together according to any coherent design. It was gigantic, and also almost unbelievable to look at. He expected it to fall apart at any moment.

"Welcome to the home of the Gerudo," Ganondorf said. "We call it the Spirit Temple."

"The Spirit Temple?" Link asked incredulously. He could not imagine anything that looked less like a place of worship.

"The upper levels of Hyrule City are rife with temples," Viscen said mournfully. "They are all marble and gold monoliths, dedicated not to the fulfillment of the spirit, but of the wallet. The penniless are denied entry, and only the rich can afford religion."

"The Spirit Temple is the only temple in the entire city where all are welcome," Ganondorf continued for him. "We are the only temple where the spirit takes precedence over profit."

Link thought that this was very inspirational, at least until Midna chimed in with, "I always though that it was because spirit is the only thing that holds this dump together." She floated up out of the reach of Viscen, who tried to hit her.

Ganondorf was unperturbed. "Come on inside. We can heal that broken arm for you."

The inside of the Spirit Temple was even more haphazardly put together than the rest of it. Mismatched tables, chairs, shelves, cabinets, and couches formed a maze of furniture that stretched through rooms of varying shapes, sizes, and stability. Some of the rooms were divided by walls that appeared to be made of broken siege fortifications, while other walls were nothing more than thick curtains with holes in them.

Strewn about in an equally disorganized fashion was easily the most impressive collection of weaponry that Link had ever seen. One glass cabinet was filled entirely with brand-new, gleaming swords, another with an assortment of rusty maces and axes. Staves, spears, pikes, halberds- polearms of all sorts were leaned against a stone wall, and he saw bags filled with explosives, quivers filled with arrows, and boxes filled with pointy rocks. There were three swords mounted on a far wall that he was sure nobody but Ganondorf could have possibly wielded- a gigantic cleaver that was both as wide and as tall as Link, an elegant curved blade that was ridiculously thin and ridiculously long, and a longsword that, amazingly, appeared to be made out of light.

It wasn't only weapons that filled the Spirit Temple. There were suits of armor, bottles of drinks and potions and strange creatures, disguises of all sorts, bandages and other first-aid supplies, countless shelves filled with books, and great stores of food. A cow mooed from somewhere in back.

"There's an injury!" Ganondorf yelled as soon as he stepped inside. "Can you give us a hand?"

For a moment, Link thought that nothing was happening. Then he spotted a flickering ball of light zooming towards him. The light soon resolved itself into a tiny (even tinier than Midna), completely nude woman with a set of wings sprouting out of her back. Her entire body was aglow with a white light.

"Hello! Broken arm? It looks pretty serious, but it's been set well enough that I think I can take care of it." The fairy zipped back and forth, examining his broken arm from every angle.

"Link," said Midna sullenly, "Navi. Navi, Link. The whole healing deal is cool for like five minutes, and then you realize that maybe you'd prefer the injury to having to deal with- Ow!"

Midna had not levitated out of Viscen's reach this time around. "Injury," he said quickly.

"Imma set you on fire _so_ hard-"

Link's attention was distracted from the squabble by a sharp stinging pain up his whole arm, then an intense heat, and then the complete absence of the dull pain that had been present ever since his arm had been broken.

"There we go! All done!"

"That was fast," Midna commented.

"Oddly fast," agreed Viscen.

"Oh!" said Navi happily, and just a tad too loudly, "Well it's much easier to heal someone if they've got some magic in them already. And there was plenty to work with here; I don't think I've ever seen this much, except maybe for you, Ganondorf!"

"Is that so?" Ganondorf said calmly. Midna's eyes were darting forth between him and Link suspiciously.

"Well now," Viscen smiled gently, interrupting. "I must now take my leave of you. Ladies. Gentlemen."

"I have business to attend to as well," Ganondorf said. "Midna, you know what to do."

"What!" She yelled, outraged. "Why me?"

Ganondorf scowled. "Viscen has a day job, and as I'm sure you're aware, it is a vitally important one. And I have better things to do with my time."

"But- it's _daytime_! I hate daytime!"

"Well you can't very well go out at night now, can you?" Link thought it was very likely that Ganondorf and Viscen were enjoying this.

"Have fun!" Viscen stepped outside and was gone in an instant. Ganondorf disappeared to somewhere deeper inside the tangle that was the Spirit Temple, leaving Link alone with Midna and Navi.

"So what's going on?" Navi asked brightly.

Midna swore viciously. "You. Follow me."

She led them to a long, low wooden table. Link picked his way carefully across the floor, trying not to rip over anything, and Navi bobbed along beside him.

Midna snapped her fingers, and Link's pack appeared out of thin air, hovering above the table. He was wondering where it had got to. She snapped her fingers again and the pack turned upside down, emptying all its contents on to the table.

"Hey-" he began.

"You have got a lot of garbage," Midna said. She picked up the shining ocarina. "What the hell is this?"

"It's an ocarina. And it's mine!"

"Is it worth money?"

"What? Wh- hey, leave that alone! What are you doing?"

Her bright yellow eye flocked up at him. "We are liquidating your assets."

"But I need…" He stopped as Midna tossed the silver conductor's baton and the empty hourglass into one of the two piles she had formed.

"These look expensive. So they go in the 'sell' pile. Over here is the 'useless' pile." The useless pile included an extra torn tunic, several broken arrows, the strange wooden mask he had been given the night before, and the black rock with orange symbols on it. Midna looked oddly at the rock for several minutes before shrugging and tossing it aside.

"You can't just sell all my stuff!" He protested.

She glared at him again. "If we'd wanted, we could have just let that monster kill you and taken all this for ourselves. You should be thankful that we saved your life, and more than willing to offer us a small reward.

"Do you do this to everybody you rescue?" he asked petulantly.

"Yep."

"They really do," Navi said cheerfully, and continued in even higher spirits. "Nobody seems to like it."

True to form, the fairy's incessant cheer was beginning to wear on him already.

"We're letting you keep the sword. Be grateful." Midna continued rummaging through all his worldy possessions, eventually adding the pack itself to the 'sell' pile.

Ganondorf emerged from the depths of the Spirit temple and navigated his way over to them. Link saw that he had shed his tattered travelling cloak and battle-scarred armor; he was now garbed in an ornate set of black metal gilded with gold.

"Dressy," said Midna. "Off to work, then?"

"Gerudo never rest," Ganondorf said solemnly. "They need to be reminded we're out there. Waiting for them. They need to be afraid of something."

"Can you not sell all my things?" Link asked.

He leaned over to examine the piles that Midna had made. "Keep all his things, Midna."

"We need the money," she commented. "Maybe if you weren't so stubborn about accepting other people's charity-"

"I have no qualms about accepting charity from those who can afford to give it," Ganondorf replied smoothly. "But I don't want the starving pushing their share of bread on us. Sell some of the spare short swords we take from the guards, or those spears we got last week."

She shrugged, but said nothing.

"Meet back here before dinner," he said, and then he was gone.

"Bye!" Navi waved.

"Alright, come on, let's go kid." Midna floated over to a pile of weaponry and started sorting through them. Every so often she chose one and snapped her fingers, making the weapon seem to melt into nothingness in her hands.

"Where do those go?" Link asked.

Midna smiled and melted too. For a second the room was quiet save for the buzzing of Navi's wings, and then Midna reappeared, perfectly silent, right behind him. "The shadows," she whispered in his ear with a ridiculous flair and, despite himself, he jumped a bit.

"You mean like that monster that attacked us?"

"Oh, that thing?" Midna laughed. "Yes. Exactly like that. Now come on, we have stuff to do. Let's go."

Link navigated his way through the tangle of the Spirit Temple until he came to the door. Navi fluttered with him.

"Nice meeting you," she was saying, "I had loads of fun healing you. I hope you get hurt again sometime so I can do it again!"

Link was unnerved. "Uh… okay. Sure."

"He'll do his best," Midna said, patting him on the back. "That is the most annoying fairy in the city," she said later, as soon as they had stepped outside. "And there a lot of fairies here. And they are all annoying."

Link hadn't really been too bothered by Navi, but he could see how she might get on one's nerves.

"She just needs to calm down, you know?" Midna was floating backwards facing him, guiding him through the streets without even looking. "Way too enthusiastic about everything. We had to bring her along on a mission one time… Dear Gods…"

"What happened?" Link asked.

Midna cleared her throat and then said, in an eerily accurate imitation of the fairy's voice, "Hey! Are we sneaking up on those guys? Look out! They spotted us somehow! Hey! What are you doing? Should I heal this guy you just stabbed? Hey! Should I heal him? Listen! I'm going to heal him. Watch out! I healed him but I think he's going to try and stab you back. Yep! He stabbed you back!"

Link knew when he was being led on. "That did not really happen."

Midna smiled. "She's not allowed to come with us anymore, I'll tell you that."

Link ascended two sets of stone stairs and into the brightening sunlight. Midna raised a hand to shield her eyes and swore. "Ergh. Sun. Hang on a second, I'm going to do a secret thing."

As he watched, Midna melted into shadow again- his shadow. Taking another step, he found that his shadow seemed to have gained a physical weight. It felt like there was a loose cloth tied to his feet and he was dragging it along with every step.

"It's not like you're gonna trip," she said. The voice seemed to come from just next to his ear. "Come on, let's go. I'll guide you from here. I don't do sunlight too good."

"So you can hide in shadows," Link said supiciously. He couldn't help thinking about the monster that had tried to kill him the night before.

"Oh, don't start up with that stupid…" she began. "Look, I know what you're thinking. This is shadow magic, something that is inherent to the Twili people. Because that monster in the night can use shadow magic, people automatically assume we're associated. Not that there's many of us left…" she said bitterly.

"I'm sorry," Link apologized automatically.

"No big deal. You just shamed my whole culture and dead race." It was tough to tell whether she was joking or not. "But it's not like shadow magic _automatically_ makes you a Twili. Anybody can do it. I could teach you, if I felt like it."

"Do you?"

"No. You probably wouldn't want it anyways, you get some odd looks. It's a branch of magic that's really gotten a bad rap, right up there with necromancy and transformation. It's kind of funny, because everybody in the lower half of the city adores Ganondorf, and he's an expert and a half in all three of those disciplines. Oh, go left here."

Link turned where she told him, and into a crowded street packed with taverns, restaurants, and brothels. An impressively-endowed prostitute with long blue hair was soliciting customers and, as Link watched, her shadow flickered up her leg. The woman gasped sharply and clutched her behind, looking about furiously for whoever had pinched her.

"Love doing that," Midna giggled in his ear.

"Acting like that, it's no wonder you shadow mages aren't too popular."

"Please," she sighed, "That was completely harmless. Anyways, just go to the end of this street and then we're there."

Halfway through the sentence, Link noticed that Midna was no longer a part of his shadow, but was instead floating through the air beside him.

Link had to admit, he understood her sympathy for the darkness. In the dark she had glowed with an unearthly light, blending in with the darkness. Her bright eye and red hair had been as bright as the fire she conjured.

In the light, her grey skin seemed plain against the shadowy garment that hugged her childlike figure. Her impish scowl seemed to revert to infantile petulance, and the helmet that had once been intimidating now just looked like a stupid hat.

He laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing." Link kept walking.

She zoomed about so she was floating in front of him, facing him. "What? What are you laughing about?"

"You look very cute," he said matter-of-factly.

Midna reacted exactly how he thought she would. "Hey jackass, I could cut your throat while you were sleeping and you would never even know. I could light your boots on fire and sit and watch as it worked all the way up to your stupid hat. I've killed more people than you've ever met. Am I cute now?"

Link tried to keep his face straight, but couldn't quite manage it.

"What're you still smiling about?"

"Your face goes black when you blush. Not red."

"You practise antagonizing people?"

Link already knew she would be trying to hit him, and ducked. He bolted through the crowd of people, weaving skilfully and barely jostling anybody. Within seconds, Midna's swears were lost in the noise behind him.

He looked back, and couldn't see her anywhere. When he looked in front of him again, he took three more steps before his shadow leapt up and wrapped around his legs.

Link careened wildly, arms coming out in front of him to break his fall. The fall never came, however, as his shadow halted his forward fall and spun him around and forward again.

His outstretched hands came to rest squarely on a Zora woman's breasts.

"Oh," he said.

Midna almost fell out of the air laughing when she reappeared, when the Zora was long gone and Link was rubbing his cheek dolefully. "That's what you get," she said.

"Noted," Link responded.

"Oh." Midna looked up. "We're here."

The first thing Link realized was that the river that circled the city of Hyrule must have bisected it as well, for he had entered an enormous central plaza that was dominated by a deep blue canal.

Boats of all sizes and quality drifted lazily up and down the river, and fishing lines stretched from the banks and bridges into the water. The plaza itself was a gigantic circle neatly divided in two by the river; numerous high white stone bridges spanned the gap between the two halves.

The place was a sea of activity. Countless masses buzzed about, drifting back and forth between an incredible number of stalls and merchants. The noise was incredible. Shouted advertisements, constant haggling, conversation, laughter, names. And above it all, the clink of innumerable amounts of money.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the sprawling bazaar was that, for the first time since Link had entered the city, he had a clear view of the sky. Towering buildings formed a wall all around them, but directly above he could see a warm blue sky with a few lazy clouds drifting across it.

"Ugh. It's too bright," Midna complained.

"This is amazing," Link marvelled. "I've never seen anything like it. Where are we?"

She regained herself, "Welcome," Midna said in what Link supposed appropriated a theatrical tone, "To the Market District."

* * *

I'm going to do my best to include as many Zelda characters from as many games as possible in this story. If you have anybody in particular you'd like to see show up, let me know in a review or message and I'll see what I can do.


	3. Chapter 3

So I had some character requests at the end of the last chapter, and I think you guys just may find yourselves somewhat obliged...

* * *

3

A Job for the Viziers. An Assassination and a Threat. The Market District.

* * *

"Princess. It is an honor- and a pleasure, I am sure." Zant bowed low and, beside him, Vaati did so as well. They were standing before her in the vaulting throne room, where white marble walls and lush carpeting was illuminated by ornate torches, and elaborate frescos decorated the high ceiling

"How may we serve you, Highness?" Vaati said, once he had straightened up.

Zelda reflected inwardly that it was almost impossible to speak to the two mages at once. Zant towered over her, grey-blue and skeletal, and the childlike Vaati looked positively diminutive next to him, garbed entirely in an odd-looking purple that matched the lavender shade of his skin. Not to mention that the two argued incessantly.

Still, there was an odd similarity between the them. She figured that it was likely the burning yellow eyes the two shared.

"I need you to find somebody for me," Zelda said.

Vaati frowned. "Easier said than done, I am afraid."

"I don't mean to offend," Zant shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of helplessness, "But we are just two mages, your Highness. Wouldn't such a task be better suited to your knights? Rusl, perhaps, would be much better at organizing a search of the city, or-"

"Ganondorf has found the Bearer of Courage," Zelda interrupted him.

Zant stopped, and then smiled. "Well, then, that certainly is a job for us."

"Are you sure?" Vaati asked. "It's been so long, why would he show up now?"

"That is what I'd like to know. I want you two to go and find him. Be sure that you aren't seen- especially by Ganondorf. When you are absolutely sure that you've found the Bearer of Courage, return to me. Do not kill anybody or do anything that would make Ganondorf think you have been watching him. Is that understood?"

Zant scowled. "If I may, princess, I think-"

"We know what you think," Vaati interrupted him. "You heard the princess. We are not to kill anybody. Your revenge can wait."

"It has waited long enough already!"

"And it can wait a while more."

Zelda saw the two out of the massive double doors that served as the entrance to the throne room. "You heard what I said. Go and find him-or her, do not let Ganondorf know you have been watching him, do not kill anybody."

The two mages nodded and bowed, Zant fuming silently, and then disappeared down the corridor. Zelda waited until they had gone, and then turned to the two guards stationed outside the throne room.

"Your Highness."

"At ease," The guards on either side of the polished wooden doors relaxed. "Can you please find Rusl for me? I need to speak with him."

"Certainly." One of the men hurried away, while the other stayed and shuffled about from foot to foot awkwardly, tapping his spear against the floor. Zelda noted with amusement that although his hair was white, he might have been a child in front of an adult he did not know.

Presently, the first guard returned, followed by Rusl, the Commandant of the Royal Knights. Despite the fact that it was early morning, he was already dressed in full uniform, looking every but the Commandant in gleaming armor and a luxurious purple cape. He bowed smartly, and then smiled.

"Zelda."

"Rusl." She smiled back at him. The list of people who she allowed to greet her by name only was very, very short.

"Well, then, what can I do for you?" He fell into step beside Zelda as they strolled through the marble halls.

"It's the magistrate, Doutor," she said. "He has some concerns about the safety of city officials when they leave the castle, and he'd wanted to speak with you about increasing the guard in the upper levels."

Rusl sighed, "We've been over this. I need to have men in the lower quarters, and there aren't enough as it is- do you know what things are like down there? It's madness. We're forced to make examples of lawbreakers just so that the rest of the population will stay in line. Just this week, in the Market District we had to-"

"I'm aware of that," she waved her hand to cut him off, "And I made sure that Dotour was aware of it as well. But you have to agree, almost nowhere in the city is safe for us anymore."

Rusl nodded grimly. "The Gerudo," he said.

"The murders last week have only got him panicking more. He's certain that he will be next, and the worst part is that he has good reason to worry."

"So what would you have me do? I can't possibly spare any more men."

Zelda stopped, and her eyes darted quickly in every direction to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Lie," she said.

Rusl raised an eyebrow.

"Just tell him that you'll be increasing the guard in the upper tiers. He won't notice, he hardly ever goes outside anyways and when he does I very much doubt he pays any attention to your soldiers. Oh, but make sure to act upset about it- I want him to think I'm ordering you to do it."

The Commandant chuckled. "Such reprehensible behaviour, and from a Princess! Very well, shall we go break the good news to him now?"

"I don't see why not."

They strode through the gleaming corridors, guards at their posts unsure whether to salute Rusl or bow to Zelda as they passed. The metal clack of his greaves against the tiles contrasted sharply with the silent whisper of her ornate dress.

She knocked delicately at the Magistrate's door. "Magistrate Dotour? It's the Princess. I've come to speak with you about increasing the guard as you requested."

A few moments passed. There was no answer. She knocked again. "Magistrate? Are you in?" She turned to the two guards stationed outside his door- another insistence of his. "Is he in?"

The guards both nodded.

Rusl thumped on the door with a fist gloved in metal. "Magistrate, the Princess is waiting! Open this door!"

There was a moment of interminable silence. Rusl and Zelda looked at each other.

"Hellfire," Rusl swore. He raised one foot and kicked, sharply, right at the door's lock. It splintered after on blow, and the second kick flung the door wide open. Zelda, Rusl, and the two guards rushed inside.

"It would seem," said Rusl after a while, "That the Magistrate's concerns for his safety were entirely justified."

"Dear Gods," Zelda said softly.

The curtains on all the windows were drawn, so that the rooms were swathed in darkness. In the centre of the magistrate's apartment there was a pool of blood on the floor, slowly dripping down from what was hanging above it.

Magistrate Doutor was hanging from the ceiling, spinning slowly on the rope that suspended him. His shirt had been stripped off him and used to gag his mouth so that he could not make a sound. The rope was tied in a complicated series of knots and traced tight patterns all over the exposed parts of his body- up and down his torso, along his arms and hands, and around his neck and face.

The entire length of the rope was covered in jagged pieces of broken metal and glass. Dotour had been stabbed a thousand times over and had died, slowly, and in agony. Zelda could see the deep gashes along his body where he had struggled in futility against his bonds.

Rusl swore again sharply. "Damn. Damn! Search the castle! Every inch of it. We could all be in danger. Princess, you have to-"

Zelda raised her hand, and Doutor was cut down in a flash of golden light. Instead of hitting the ground, however, he floated gently in midair. Zelda closed his eyes. "I will attend to our late Magistrate, Commandant."

"But- it isn't safe- they could still be nearby-"

"I will ensure that proper respects are paid. Please, conduct your search. I will be perfectly safe."

"Zelda-"

"That is an order, Commandant."

Rusl hesitated, and for a moment she was sure he would protest further. But relented. "You two. With me. Gods have mercy on this monster if we catch him."

Zelda worked her magic on what was left of Doutor. His wounds stitched closed, and the jagged rope dissolved into thin air. When she heard the door shut closed behind her, she said aloud, "You did not have to kill him."

Ganondorf stepped out of the shadows. "Two days ago, three men were executed by your soldiers in the Market District, in the exact same way. They had stolen food to feed their families. You did not have to kill them."

"Dotour had a family as well," she began. "A wife, a son. You think that the starving children will be pleased to know that another family is without a father? That another-"

"A rich wife! A rich son!" Ganondorf shouted. He was enraged. "If they suffer- even one iota- because their father and husband is dead, then good! So much the better, if they even understand a _fraction_ of the pain that thousands must endure because of them-"

"It is not their fault!" Zelda shouted back, advancing on Ganondorf.

"But it is," he responded coldly. "They have done nothing. _Nothing_. Inaction and ignorance are no excuse."

In an instant, a glittering silver sword was in Zelda's hands, the tip resting gently in the hollow of Ganondorf's throat.

"Guards will come running," he was nonplussed. "How many of them will die?"

Zelda glared at him for a moment more, and then withdrew the blade and concealed it in nothingness once more. "Blame me if you like," she said. "But leave the innocent out of this, Ganondorf. You are destroying your own cause."

He was silent for a long moment. "I have a message."

"Choose a better means of delivery next time."

"I've found him." When Zelda said nothing in response, he continued. "Courage. He will be a member of Gerudo before the day is out."

"If you're the only one speaking to him, I don't doubt it," she said dryly. "Will you be telling him about this little escapade of yours? Somehow, I don't think you will."

"Listen," he said. "The two of us will destroy you. You are powerful, yes, but against two Bearers-" he sighed. "Zelda. Stop this."

"I am far from finished, Ganondorf," she smiled coldly. "And it's much too early to be discussing the terms of my surrender."

"Listen to me, this is futile! How much longer do you think you have to live? A year? Half a year? We will be coming for you, but you can change that if you just-"

"I will be alive long after you lie forgotten in a nameless grave."

He started backing into the shadows again. "When you are dead," he began melting into the darkness, "I will raise your broken body up on the highest tower, and the people will know that the darkness has passed at last."

"Until that day comes, Ganondorf," she laughed humourlessly, "Go on and continue using that darkness to hide your own evil. And fear the day when at last people realize just how black your heart really is."

He was gone.

Zelda clenched her fist. The insignia on the back of her hand glowed. A lamp shattered.

She sighed. "How did this happen?" she said quietly.

* * *

"Name a thing. Any thing. You can buy it or sell it here."

Midna floated along a few feet in front of Link, cheerfully pointing out the key features of the Market District to him. "Just about everything you could ever want is somewhere here in the Market District- and it's also just about the only place in the entire city where the upper classes willingly mingle with the lower classes."

"It's pretty impressive," he agreed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pickpocket earn a day's wages.

"Right," she snapped her fingers, and a shining spear appeared out of nowhere. "I gotta go hock these pointed sticks real quick, you stay out of trouble. Go look around or something. Be back in five."

She had barely floated away before someone shouted, "Hey there! You! In the green!"

Link turned when he realized that whoever was yelling meant him. At first he thought that Navi had followed him, but as the fairy floated closer, he could see that she was somebody else.

"What the hell are you wearing?" she jabbed at his hat.

"A hat."

"No, no, no. A _hat_ is created with the explicit intention of being a piece of clothing." She flicked the floppy green end of his cap over his eyes. "This is like a burlap sack that's had green paint spilled on it."

"I like this hat."

"Well I don't. And speaking for the females in general, they won't like it either. Now what you need is something with a little more style." She punctuated the word 'style' with a sort of fancy pirouette around his head.

"Style?" Link repeated.

"Style," she affirmed, buzzing around his head again. "Tell you what, come with me. I just got these very dressy shirts in, absolutely _beautiful_, fairy-made. For a handsome guy like you… hundred rupees each."

"One hundred rupees? That sounds like a lot." The fairy was leading him through the crowd of people and over to a makeshift stall, piled high with colourful clothing and manned by a very worried-looking fairy that glowed a deep purple.

"Hey sis," he said when he saw them, "Don't leave me alone manning this stall, that's like asking for-"

"How about this." She fluttered over to a smart-looking something with pinstripes. "All the rage in the upper levels these days. And did I mention fairy-made? A hundred rupees is a small price to pay for the love and respect of your peers."

Link picked up the article of clothing, and rustled through a few more. "But it is a lot to pay for a shirt."

"A lot? Let me tell you, this is a bargain. You will never get better than fairy-made, there is magic sewn into every stitch, it is so comfortable you'll feel like you're naked, the ladies will just go- hurk!"

This last enunciation was not the fairy explaining just what the ladies would do, but rather was the direct result of Midna snatching the fairy out of the air.

"You! Do! Not! Con! Gerudo!" Midna punctuated each word with a shake of her fist, waving the fairy around in the air sharply and sending magical sparks flying everywhere.

The fairy shouted back in between shakes. "Whoah! Hey Midna, I- Whoohah! Didn't know the kid- Hoowowch! Was with you! Eergwha! Stop shaking me! Owjeez!" Midna released her grip and the fairy took to the air again, fluttering about rather shakily before getting her bearings. "I mean, look at his face. That is a connable face. A pigeon. Can you blame me?"

Midna rolled her eyes (eye). "Link, take note. There are a hundred million ways to separate a man and his money, and Tatl knows every single one of them."

"Thank you," said Tatl, bowing.

"Tael, shouldn't you be keeping her under control?" Midna asked.

The purple fairy chuckled nervously. Link realized that it was a male. "Ehe. Well, I tried to make sure she didn't charge too much…"

"Where'd you get the shirts?" Midna asked. "Seeing as how all of us with one notable exception know that 'fairy-made' is a steaming pile."

Tatl sat down on the top of Midna's hat. "Jacked 'em, of course."

Midna frowned. "Not from anyone I know, I hope."

"Relax, relax, I know how you are. We got them from those warehouses further up the river. I paid Linebeck to run that boat of his up there last night, we shifted them right out off the loading dock. I got crates of 'fairy-made' shirts coming outta my ass."

"You did this at night?" Midna marvelled. "How much did you have to pay that idiot?"

Tatle sighed. "More than I care to recall. Linebeck won't risk his neck for anything less than a king's ransom- but for the right price, he'll do anything."

"You didn't run into any trouble."

Tatle laughed. "The Nameless? No, it was quiet all night, thank the Gods. Didn't stop Linebeck nearly bailing on us, though. But I figured, maybe it was something to do with the water?"

Link wondered what 'The Nameless,' was, but then realized she was talking about the beast that had attacked him.

"No trouble with Nameless, eh?" Midna elbowed Link in the ribs, only a little harder than was necessary. "Wonder why that was? Maaaaybe something to do with us?"

Tatl's eyes widened, she leapt a few feet in the air and produced an odd dinging noise. "Don't tell me- _you saw it_?"

The Twili chuckled self-servingly. "Well, old Link here was new in town- had a little run in. Ganondorf and us lot just so happened to be over at Telma's place, heard something was going on. Get this- Ganondorf hustles us all out there, we _fought_ the goddamn thing to save this kid's ass."

Tatl was apoplectic with shock and even the sulking Tael had perked up and was listening. Unable to decide who to yell at, Tatl shot furiously back and forth between Midna and Link before eventually seizing Link's face and pulling on it. "Fall in a well and die!"

It took Link a little while to work out that Tatl had made up this expression to convey the enormity of her surprise.

"Is this for real? You guys _fought_ the Nameless!"

"Hey, this is nice material." Link and Tatl turned to see Midna examining the piles of clothing stacked up on the stall.

The fairy immediately switched back into moneymaking mode. "You like? I've got stuff in all sizes, I'm sure I've got something nice in your size, you could do with a change, you're always wearing that black thingy-"

"Twenty."

Tatl blinked. "Okay, listen, we were saying a hundred for fairy-made, I know, but they're actually worth nearly that. At the boutiques in the upper levels these'll run you seventy, eighty rupees, even down here you won't find 'em for less than fifty. So let's be realistic, Midna. Fifty."

Midna made a big show of considering the offer, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Thirty apiece, or I'll let slip exactly where you pulled 'fairy made' out of."

Tatl sagged in midair. "…Fine."

Midna smirked, revealing pointed teeth. "Come on then, pretty boy, pick something you like."

Link looked over at Tatl and mouthed the words 'Pretty boy?' Tatl nodded and shot him a wink. "You could be prettier, though, for only thirty rupees each."

Half an hour later, Midna and Link bade farewell to Tatl and Tael with several new clothing purchases. Link figured she must have made a tidy profit selling the weapons Ganondorf had given her, because Midna next hauled him over to an outdoor patio and bar near the edges of the enormous market.

"Drink this." She slammed what appeared to be a frosty mug of milk down on the bar in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked. "Just milk?"

The bartender slapped him. Several patrons gasped. Ruefully Link reflected that this was the second time in under a day he had been slapped by a woman he'd just met.

"Just milk!" The redheaded woman tending bar repeated his words incredulously. "_Just_ milk!"

"Well, what is it?"

"Drink it."

Tentatively he took a sip. It was easily the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. "This is amazing."

"This," the bartender said theatrically, "Is _Chateau Romani_. The cows are raised in the most luxurious farm in the world since birth, free to roam the vast acres of lush grassland outside the city. They are milked only by the fairest virgin maidens, and the milk is tested and bottled personally by our dairy connoisseurs. The Kokiri people of the forest enchant those chosen bottles with magic, and it is then chilled to the perfect temperature and served."

"There's also rum in it!" Midna said approvingly.

"There is also rum in it," the bartender admitted with a shrug. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cremia. I own this place here as well as the ranch outside the city."

"Link," he said, shaking her callused hand. A thought occurred to him. "My horse ran away when I arrived last night- I think she was spooked by that monster. If you see her roaming around by your ranch, can you let me know?"

She nodded. "I'll keep my eye out. We see a lot of runaways out there- good luck getting a horse to go anywhere in the city at night."

"Good luck getting anybody to go anywhere at night," said Midna in between sips of her drink.

"It's true," Cremia agreed. "But the city is getting worse, even during the daytime. People can't make a living on their own, you see crime everywhere. I used to bring my little sister into Hyrule with me, but now I'm afraid to do that."

"You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself," Link noted. "Aren't you afraid?"

"What, with chivalrous types like you on these streets protecting me?" Cremia smiled. "I get an escort from the guards. It's true I have to slip them something under the table, but it's better than being robbed- or worse."

With a loud gulp, Midna finished her drink and slammed the glass on the bar, upside down. She rapped on the bar for another. "Feh. They're all useless. Only in it for the money."

"Which I happen to have," Cremia said with a nonchalant shrug, pouring Midna another Chateau Romani. "Look, I know how you are about all this, and I'm not disagreeing with you. It's just none of my business, that's all."

"No, no," Midna waved a dismissive hand, and then grabbed her second drink. "You're just trying to earn a living. I understand."

Link watched the crowds bustle by for a while and sipped. "Do you make a lot of money here?"

"You kidding?" Cremia laughed. "Do you know how much I go through in a day with a place right at the edge of the Market District? You guys'll probably hate me for this, but if I wanted to, I could live right up there, maybe only a little bit down from the royal complex itself."

"Then why don't you?" Link asked.

"Too cold," She gave a mock shiver. "Both the people and the temperature. Things are different up there. No, give me my ranch where I can see the stars at night, and my bar where I can talk to people who actually listen, and I'm happy."

"Good attitude," Midna said, "I like you Cremia. Have I ever told you that before?"

"Usually only after you've had a few more drinks," Cremia remarked dryly. "Speaking of which, what can I get you?"

Midna had already finished her second drink, and Link was almost done his. "Nothing, thanks," she said. "We were just heading out. I'm showing this kid the ropes, and we had to stop by this place, of course. Here." She flicked fifty rupees onto the bar.

"Come back again, you hear?"

When they were out of earshot, concealed safely in the crowds, Midna spoke. "You see? That's the problem. Here, follow me, there's one last thing we gotta do."

"What exactly was wrong with her? You're all ways going on and on about the upper classes; she seemed just fine."

"Apathy," Midna spat it as if it were a swearword. Or rather, as if it were a word that actually offended her, as she seemed to have no problem with swears. "She bribes the guards and doesn't have to worry about being assaulted in the street. Problem circumvented, right? Why should she care about anything else that goes on?"

"You can hardly blame her for minding her own business," Link said, a bit harshly. "Maybe you just need to-"

She interrupted him, and pointed up. "Can you honestly turn a blind eye to this?"

Link looked up. "Oh, Gods."

They had stopped near the center of the plaza. Set up along the river was a grisly display that people hurried past, averting their eyes. Swinging gently in the breeze were three partially decomposed human corpses, suspended in midair by a ramshackle wooden frame.

As Link and Midna got closer, he could see that the bodies were all male, and had been stripped completely naked. The ropes that held them up were the same ones that had killed them, thick cords wrapped tightly around their chests, neck, arms, legs, genitals. The ropes were covered in jagged bits of metal and glass that had gouged their subjects to death. The wounds were horrific.

"The man on the left was a career pickpocket." Midna was saying. "He lived alone, sick, dying. He used the money to buy medicine."

Beneath the wooden frame holding the dead men aloft were three fires burning, one for each corpse. Link could smell strong incense, and beneath that the smell of rotting flesh that could not be masked. The bodies had clearly been there for days, at the least.

"The man in the middle assaulted a guard. The guard had- he'd done-" Midna's breath hitched a bit, with rage or grief. "The man had an eleven year old son taken away from him."

The eyes of all three men had been pecked out by birds that even now circled above the crowded marketplace, landing sporadically and tearing strips of flesh from the grotesque displays. People seemed to be making a conscious effort to avoid looking at the birds, which were unnaturally fat.

"The man on the right stole food. His family was starving to death. They still are."

The faces of three men stared sightlessly at Link with empty eye sockets. He found that he could not bring himself to look away. "This… this is hideous."

"Can you ignore this, Link?" Midna asked him, as solemn as he had ever seen her. "Can you bring yourself to just look the other way, while this goes on?"

The buzz of the crowd seemed to dull in his ears. He could see them, wherever he looked- people trying their best to avoid acknowledging the atrocity which hung in their midst. Heads down, countless people hurried by.

"This will continue to happen," she was saying. "They will keep seeking out examples, and punish them. If they can't find criminals, they'll invent some. It's a way of keeping order."

In his mind's eye, Link saw endless numbers of condemned being led to their deaths, screaming in agony above the Market district while shoppers went about their daily business and avoided looking at you.

"Will you ignore this?"

"No." How could he? How could they?

"You can help us. You can change Hyrule. For the people."

"Let's go," he said. The two of them turned away from the gently swaying corpses and wound their way through the obstinate throngs. Before long, the sky was lost to them once more beneath the endless height of the city.

* * *

This little scene in the Market District was actually the first thing I thought of for this story. The image of Link in a crowded market, looking up at the hanging bodies was an image that I felt had a whole story behind it.

I wonder if I should tell you guys that there is a very important little hint in Zelda's scene...

As always, let me know what you think by reviewing, and if there's any characters you want to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do.


	4. Chapter 4

I've got nothing to say but feel kind of obliged to put an author's note at the top of the page.

* * *

4

The Commandant Rusl. Eavesdropping. A Gossip Stone.

* * *

"Link, yeah? Good to meet you." A sullen, dark-haired young girl greeted them when they returned to the Spirit Temple. "I'm Ashei." Contrary to her appearance, her voice and mannerisms were rather energetic.

"Are you a member of the Gerudo?" Link asked.

"Good guess." She shot him a mock salute. "I'm from the Hylia River North cell."

"How many members are there?"

It was Midna who answered for him. "Only Ganondorf knows for sure. Maybe a hundred, two at the most. There are cells in hiding all over the city, each one maybe four, five members. The Spirit Temple is the headquarters of the whole organization, so members from different cells are here all the time."

"Still-" This was a much higher number than Link expected. "Two hundred people, that's a lot, isn't it?"

"A drop in a sea," she said dismissively. "Hey, Ashei. Are you the only one here?"

"Colin is. Boss had some business with him, I just tagged along for the trip." Her dark eyes turned to Link. "So, the boss is talking about you, yeah? He says you're the next big thing."

Link frowned. "Really? What exactly did he say?"

"Yeah, what, exactly?" Midna echoed.

Ashei shrugged. "Nothing too specific. You know how he is. But he mentioned you, so that's something, eh? But he was talking with Colin a whole lot about his father."

"Ganondorf's father?"

Midna smacked Link in the back of the head. "No, moron, _Colin's_ father. He's the Commandant of the Royal Guard. Rusl. Been a pain in the ass for just about as long as I can remember."

"Get this," Ashei glanced back and forth, clearly eager to tell her story. "He's unstoppable."

"Unstoppable? What does that mean, unstoppable?"

"Let's go inside, I'll tell you."

The three of them moved into a room that was filled mostly with mismatched furniture. Link took a seat in a comfortably plush chair, Ashei sat on the edge of a nearby couch, and Midna collapsed onto another.

She leaned forward. "I mean that nobody can stop him. I got to see him fight once in my life, about a year or two after I joined up. It was Ganondorf, Viscen, and these two swordsmen, Oshus- he's with that cell further down along the river now, and… um, I think his name was Garo. We were doing a full-out strike, Ganondorf wanted one of their armouries burned down. They must have had some counter-intelligence, because Rusl was waiting for us."

Despite herself, Midna had propped herself up on the edge of the couch and was listening to Ashei with interest.

"At first, I don't even see what happens. All I know is that one second Garo is standing there, waiting for the signal to light the charges we've set. Next second his throat is cut and he goes down, dead in less than a minute. All of it perfectly silent. I just caught it out of the corner of my eye, yeah? So I shout real loud, and that probably saved all our lives, because then the others are right there, and Ganondorf does this magic that lights up the whole place."

Ashei's sullen demeanour had completely vanished in her obvious enthusiasm. Link noted with some distaste that she seemed completely unfazed to be recounting the death of a comrade.

"So Rusl's standing there, yeah? Just him, by himself. And next thing I know, he isn't, he's running at us and the boss's running at him. And I'm thinking, it's game over for this guy, because he just killed a Gerudo, and the boss makes it a personal point to hunt down anybody who kills one of us. Am I right?"

Midna nodded knowingly. "A few years back when that cell in the Industrial District was raided, I remember Ganondorf spent a week looking for every single one of the soldiers that did it. That was really the point when things started to escalate."

"Yeah. Point is, I have never seen anything could beat Ganondorf in a fight, except maybe the Nameless. But this Rusl guy- he's fast. Him and boss're movin' so fast, I can't even believe what I'm seeing. And Ganondorf's _losing_."

"What." Midna said flatly.

"You heard me. I start seein' blood, and the boss is being pushed back, getting roughed up. Well, next thing he says is 'get out, and he starts tossing magic and, get this, Rusl stops it with his sword."

"What?" said Link, incredulous. "How?"

"He sorta- I dunno, caught it with his blade and deflected it into the walls. But the magic gets him, it slows him down enough for Ganondorf to get a few good swings in and suddenly both guys are hurt."

"How did you get out?" Midna asked.

"A gentleman's agreement," said Ganondorf.

"That's right," Ashei continues, "Him and Rusl, they- What the hell!"

Link, Midna, and Ashei jumped a collective three feet in the air. Ganondorf was calmly sitting on the couch next to Ashei, somehow having managed to sneak in without any of them noticing.

"Aah!"

Link's undignified yelp was fortunately overshadowed by Midna, who swore loudly and furiously and accidentally set the couch on fire a little bit.

"How the _hell_ did you do that!" Ashei gasped in astonishment.

"Trade secret," Ganondorf said with a sly smile. "I heard you talking about the Commandant, Ashei."

"Yeah, well… yeah. I was just telling them the story of that raid we went on a few years back, and… it came up."

Scepticism was all over Ganondorf's face. "You always were a bad liar. It wouldn't have anything to do with our business here today, would it?"

Ashei shook her head vigourously. "No, no, never. No. Wait. I don't know what that is, yeah? What is it?"

"My father," said a new voice. Link turned to see a blond, timid-looking boy who couldn't have been more than fifteen occupy a free seat. "Rusl." Link could only assume that this was Colin. Navi was flitting about his head gleefully.

"I thought I heard you talking about how Rusl almost killed me. How he was better than me."

Ashei shook her head even more emphatically. "No, boss, you got it all wrong. I-"

"You are, of course, completely right." Ignoring everybody's puzzlement , Ganondorf continued. "I underestimated the Commandant. He had killed one of my men, I was angry, and I attacked without thinking. I nearly died that day, and I also made a very powerful enemy. We should never underestimate the people we are fighting against."

"Underestimate?" Midna finished putting out the small fire she had started. "That ain't the first story I've heard about the Commandant. If I ever see this guy I am running the hell away. Let someone else fight him."

Ganondorf sighed. "Midna. If Princess Zelda herself walked into this Temple, what would you do?"

"Fire," said Midna instantly. "Set her on fire."

"That's mean," said Navi.

"That's stupid," said Ganondorf. "Do you see what you've done? You've underestimated your opponent."

"What, one worthless princess? How tough can she be?"

For some reason, Ganondorf glanced sideways at Link when he answered. "Princess Zelda… is one of the three most powerful people in all of Hyrule. You cannot hope to kill her. Even I do not stand much of a chance."

A tense silence followed this cryptic remark. It was interrupted by Navi. "Who's the third person?"

"Hm?"

"You said the three strongest, yeah?" Ashei continued the fairy's train of though. "Zelda is one. You've got to be another one, yeah, boss? Who's number three?"

"Do you mean my father?" Colin asked.

Despite knowing better, however, Link had a sneaking suspicion that Ganondorf may have meant him. This feeling was compounded by the fact that Midna was being entirely unsubtle in staring at him suspiciously.

"The Commandant is entirely worthy of our respect," said Ganondorf, smoothly averting the questions, "You did tell them how we managed to escape, right Ashei?"

"Oh! Yeah,' Ashei continued her story. "So both boss and Rusl were hurt, pretty bad. So Rusl agrees to let us go if we leave the armoury intact. The one condition that they both have is that they fight again, one-on-one."

"And did you ever fight him again?" Link asked.

"I have no doubt that one day we will. I look forward to it."

"Hey, that sounds kind of like Midna!" Navi commented, flitting over to the imp and settling on her helmet. "And that thing you keep saying about that guy. You know, that guy!"

"I don't want to talk about it," Midna flapped her hands uselessly at the fairy.

"What's this, now?" Colin asked.

Ganondorf answered for a Midna who seemed unlikely to respond. "She has somewhat of a dispute with one of the Princesses' viziers."

Ashei thought for a bit. "You don't mean…"

"Zant?" Colin supplied.

Midna stopped attempting to assault Navi and began hissing swearwords under her breath. "Do not," she said dangerously, "Say that name." Her hands crackled with barely suppressed magic.

There was an awkward silence.

Navi broke it. "I'm hungry. How about we eat?"

* * *

Outside, darkness had fallen. Two figures were perched on a collapsed stone archway across the street from the Spirit Temple, the only signs of life in the deserted street.

One of them was short, childlike, and purple. "Where is it?" He asked. His voice, to his perpetual chagrin, sounded like a petulant ten-year old. "Nearby?"

The other one was tall, at least as tall as the leader of the Gerudo himself. However, he held none of Ganondorf's girth and was skeletally thin, garbed in ornate robes. He focused for a moment. "Up," he said after a while, in a voice that was lilting and a bit manic. "Windfall Street. Perhaps there is a child out of bed?"

"Doesn't matter," said the short one. "So long as we don't have to deal with it."

"It won't harm us."

"I'd rather not put that theory to the test." The short figure flickered, and there was the sound of rushing wind, and then suddenly he was on the misshapen roof of the Spirit Temple. "So then," said Vaati, "Which of them will be lucky contestant number three?"

Zant appeared beside him, shards of dark magic fluttering around him, marking his arrival. "_She_ is in there," he said with evident loathing.

Vaati looked up at him. He had to look up quite a ways to make eye contact. "Calm yourself. We have our orders. Nobody dies- at least, not tonight. You can kill her later. We have a job to do."

Zant's head twisted at an odd angle, with an audible _crack_. "Every minute I wait is another minute she will be in pain," he vowed.

"Yeah," Vaati was growing tired of his coworker's unending quest for vengeance, which occupied fully half of everything he ever said. "I get it. You hate her. You wanna kill her. Can you please stop talking about it _all the time_? Help me out here, which one do you think it is? I don't recognise a lot of these people."

Zant bent down to listen to the voices below. They were sharing a meal, apparently. With magic augmenting his senses, he could hear drinks being poured, cutlery clinking, and meat being sliced off the bone. Also, somebody was a very loud chewer.

"My dad isn't a bad person. He believes he's doing the right thing." This was a young man, barely more than a boy. He was the loud chewer.

"And I respect him for it. Greatly." This deep voice, layered with power, could be none other than Ganondorf. Zant had met him before, and had no desire to do so again. "He is a noble man fighting for an unworthy cause."

"So do we kill him?" _Her_ voice. "Is that the plan?"

"No," This was another girl, one he hadn't heard before. "We want to avoid him, yeah? At all costs."

"Don't kill him," This was the young boy again. He was pleading. "Please. He's a good man, you know that, keep him alive if you can. I know… I know that you're planning something. Something big."

"I will spare your father if I can," said Ganondorf. "He is one of the very few people inside of the castle who do not deserve death."

Zant looked up at Vaati, who silently mouthed the words _who are they talking about._ This was an interesting benefit of their visit- the son of a high-ranking official was, apparently, a traitor. If they could only get a name, they would have untold amounts of leverage over the Gerudo.

"If your father gets in my way," Ganondorf was continuing, "I will have no choice. I'm sorry. I really am."

The boy was in despair now. "He will, you know he will, he's just like you, he won't give up! We made a deal, I did what you asked me to, will you keep your word?"

"I'll do my best, Colin. But you have to remember that I never promised you anything."

"You told me- After I helped you-"

"You've helped us all. I won't forget that."

Colin. That was the name of their traitor, who had apparently performed some sort of task for Ganondorf. But who had a son with that name? No matter. He would be found out.

"Maybe if you just talk to him, we can work things out!" This was the voice of a fairy. He had heard that a fairy was part of the Gerudo's top cell, and now he knew. This reconnaissance mission was turning up all sorts of hidden treasures.

"For the last time, violence is the solution to everything. We've been over this." Zant could barely stand to hear her voice.

He looked up at Vaati and said, whisper-quiet. "Which one is it? The child? The girl?"

Vaati shook his head and replied, equally silent. "Neither."

"We know Ganondorf is one, and… she… is not. That leaves the fairy, the child, and the girl. Which is it?"

"There is someone else in the room."

Zant listened to the muted conversation and heard nobody. "If there is someone else there, they are a mute. It mist be one of those three."

"No," Vaati shook his head. "It's the last one, I'm sure- Look out!"

Zant turned but it was too late.

On the street below was a man, white-haired, carrying a worn imperial-issue spear and dressed in rusty armor. Looking straight at the two of them, he smiled, saluted, and entered the Spirit Temple.

Presently, his voice could be heard down below. "Ho, Link. Heard you and Midan went on a little shopping date today."

"Hey Viscen. Don't say the word 'date,' Midna's liable to singe your eyebrows off."

"Way ahead of you."

"Hey! Stop fighting!"

"Shut it, fairy."

"Midna, calm down."

Zant and Vaati were already gone, making their way across rooftops, up staircases, and through dark and empty streets. Save for a short detour when the Nameless drew near, they headed straight for the castle.

"Well," said Vaati cheerfully, "Our Princess should be pleased. It seems our Hero has a name, and that name is Link!"

* * *

After dinner, Ganondorf took Link aside to a small, quiet room containing a single battered dresser and a creaky bed. "These will be your quarters for as long as you are with us."

"I never said I wanted to join," Link responded. "The Gerudo sound a bit too radical for me."

Ganondorf was quiet for a bit. "I understand Midna took you to the Market District."

"Yes."

"You saw what was there? What was done to the citizens of this city."

"I did. It was my understanding that they broke the law."

The Gerudo chieftain stared him dead in the eyes. "Link. Can you honestly say to me that you approve of what was done to those men?"

He looked away. "No. I can't."

"It will happen again," Ganondorf said. "And again, and again, for as long as the Princess and her legions rule this city. They will always find new victims, new scapegoats they can blame for all the evil when they do nothing but evil themselves."

"And what makes you think you'll be any better?"

"You saw what they did to those men. I swear to you, I would never do that."

Link sighed heavily. "You knew I would join up as soon as you saw me." He saw that his pack, possessions intact, had been placed by the foot of his bed.

"I did."

"Why is that?"

"Look at yourself, Link. You will fight for what is just, you will not ignore the suffering of the people, you will stand up for what you believe in. Your courage is something that most people could only wish for."

"Hm. You've known me a day."

"True. But I'm right, am I not?" He put out his hand.

With no hesitation, Link shook it. "You are. I'm honoured to be a member of the Gerudo.

Ganondorf smiled. "I knew you would be."

There was a knock at the door, and Viscen's voice asked, "Can I come in?" without waiting for an answer, he stepped inside. "Hey, congratulations, kid, I hear you're officially one of us now."

"Um, that literally just happened." Link and Ganondorf's hands were still clasped together.

"Oh, did I jump the gun a bit, boss?"

Ganondorf laughed. "A little bit. Working hard, then?"

"You know it. So what are Colin and Ashei doing here, then?"

"It's about Rusl," Ganondorf explained, as Viscen made himself at home by reclining on Link's bed. It seemed that at the Spirit Temple the general philosophy extended to what's-mine-is-yours. "He knows that we're looking to eliminate some of the high-ranking threats to the Gerudo before they can get us, and he was asking me to spare his dad."

"Ooh," Viscen winced. "Tough call. He may be a nice guy and all, but Rusl is public enemy number two, right after Zelda herself. And there's one thing I'm willing to bet Colin doesn't know."

"What's that?" asked Link.

"That Zelda is up to something. Something to do with us."

Ganondorf's eyes glittered darkly. "What is it?"

"I couldn't find out much. All I know is that they're looking for somebody, and they think you know where this somebody might be. Also, she told those two mages of hers specifically not to kill anyone, which means they'll likely be slinking around somewhere. But- you'll be interested to hear this, odd how these things work out- She summoned Rusl and then hurried off somewhere. Not too much later there was a castle-wide search for a mysterious intruder."

"Hm."

"That mysterious intruder wouldn't happen to be you now, would it?" Link managed to suppress a smile. Ganondorf chuckled.

Viscen winked. "You never know. But this does tell us that Zelda, those mages, and the Commandant are up and about and no doubt it's all to do with us. So it looks like you may need to disregard poor Colin's request."

"Not quite," said Ganondorf. "Colin is a very valuable resource, as you imagine the son of the Commandant might be. For example, he was able to procure us… this." His sentence was punctuated by a shining blue stone appearing in his hand.

"Is that what I think it is?" Viscen whispered in awe.

"A Gossip Stone," answered Ganondorf. "There's not fifty of them in all of Hyrule- and now we've got one."

"What's it do?" Link asked. He noticed that the stone was not resting on Ganondorf's palm, but rather floating in the air just above it.

"All manner of things," said Viscen. "But there is one thing in particular that we are rather interested in."

"And that would be…?"

"You will find out soon enough." Ganondorf vanished the glowing stone in a glitter of blue light. "Enough about that for now. Did Midna buy you some clothing today?"

"Yes. Why?"

Ganondorf pulled open the drawers of the battered dresser, revealing clothing of various styles and quality. All of it seemed understated and a little bland. "Starting today, you blend in. Wear what everybody else is wearing. Don't draw attention to yourself. Everybody knows who you are, nobody knows your name."

"Says the man whose face is beaten into every guard's head," Viscen snickered.

Ganondorf ignored him. "You can lose the green tunic, unless you're on a job with us. If you're just walking around- dress poor. You are now a criminal. People will try to kill you. Your survival depends on not being recognized."

"I don't know what I've gotten myself into, do I?" Link asked, only half-joking.

"No," answered Ganondorf and Viscen, perfectly serious.

He sighed again. They went to leave. Ganondorf stopped at the door.

"By the way. Be sure you get a good night's sleep."

"Why's that?"

He laughed. "Your first mission is tomorrow."

* * *

This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones because it sets up the next couple, in which things happen, and also some stuff.


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter took me a little bit longer than usual. In exchange, it's pretty long, I guess.

* * *

Battle in the High Street. Infiltrating the Castle. The Vault.

* * *

"Up and at 'em, kid."

There was a sharp knock at the door, and Viscen spoke again. "Dress nice."

Bemused, Link shuffled wearily over to the dresser and went through the clothing inside. Although it was tough to discern what was what in the darkness, he soon found a set of pants and a white shirt and black vest that seemed like they belonged on a member of the upper-class. He combined this with buckled loafers and a black leather belt.

"Your coat," said Viscen, who was waiting outside his room. The old man was wearing what Link recognized as a guard's uniform. His white hair was hidden by his helmet, but his visor was up and Link could see his face,

"Huh?"

"You need a coat, the nobles all wear overcoats when they go outside."

"I don't have one."

"Gods dammit… MIDNA!"

"WHAT." The imp's shrill voice bellowed at them from somewhere inside the tangled Spirit Temple.

"Did you buy this kid a coat?"

"What? Hang on!" After a little while, she poked her head out from around the corner. "The hell does he need a coat for?"

"The nobles all wear coats when they go out; don't you know that!"

"It's not even cold outside!"

"It will be when we get up there!"

"…Shut up!" Midna disappeared.

"Useless little…" Viscen pulled off his helmet and ran a hand though his hair. "Come on." Link followed him through the mazelike hallways, until Viscen stopped at a room with heavy clothing hanging on the walls and on coat racks. He shuffled through several overcoats before selecting a sharp black one with gold buttons and tossing it at Link.

He put it on. The coat-tail flapped about his legs. "What's the deal with this?"

"We're heading up," Viscen pointed upwards helpfully. "You need to look like a nobleman."

"Link? Viscen? Ah, there you are, hurry up!" Ganondorf was wearing his flawless set of black-and-gold armour, Link noticed. The sword on his waist was one that Link had seen hanging on the walls before- it was a longsword as tall as he was that appeared to be made of pure light.

Midna, Colin, and Ashei were waiting for them out front. Colin was dressed as a royal guard also, and Ashei was clad in a very elegant-looking skirt and blouse.

"Hello there, darling!" She clasped on to Link's arm as soon as she saw him. "Lovely day for a stroll, yeah?"

"Um… did I miss something?" Viscen and Colin seemed to be chuckling at him.

"You and Ashei are married," Viscen said, "At least for this mission. Colin and myself will be two guards escorting the young couple as you go about your morning business. Business that just happens to be in the Royal Complex."

"And what about you?" He noticed that Ganondorf and Midna did not seem to be particularly disguised. Midna herself was wearing the same filmy black garment and bizarre stone headdress she wore every day.

"The two of us don't stand a chance of walking in there unrecognized," Ganondorf explained. "So we will ensure that we are, in fact, recognized and thus provide a convenient distraction."

"Blow some stuff up while we're at it," Midna added.

"And where are we going?"

Viscen pointed again. "I already said. Up."

Down in the lowest levels of the city, the sun was still hidden away behind high walls and towering buildings. It was as dark as night.

"It tends to be safer in the early morning," Ganondorf explained, "But it could still be lurking about. We'll stick together until we get high enough to see daylight, and then it'll be safe to split up."

They climbed flight after flight of stairs, sometimes entering darkened buildings and emerging on rooftops that became other streets. Link was amazed at how intricately the city was woven together, and in the silence and emptiness of the early morning it was almost a work of art. When they crossed bridges and he looked down, he found that he could never see a place where the city ended- there always seemed to be another layer hidden beneath, and gaps in the infrastructure where he could see nothing but darkness. He could tell that there were places, further down below, that sunlight had never seen.

He wondered what horrors would lurk in those places.

They entered the vast plaza of the market district. It was completely empty, but pink tinges of sunlight could be seen in the space of sky above.

"Let's aim to meet back at the Spirit Temple before sunset." Ganondorf and Midna broke apart from the group. "Viscen, you're in command. Link, that means you are to obey every order he gives you. Understood?"

Link nodded.

"Good." He seemed about to add more, but then decided against it. "Right. Good luck, everybody."

The two groups parted, heading in opposite directions. Link looked back and saw Ganondorf and Midna, tiny against the vast spread of buildings and distance of the plaza. The towering Gerudo leader seemed hopelessly small next to the might of the city, and Midna was nothing more than the red and orange shine of her hair as the growing light caught it oddly.

Then they disappeared into the maze of the city, and Link followed Viscen, Colin, and Ashei into the streets that spiralled further and further upwards.

* * *

Midna floated along upside-down ahead of Ganondorf, looking back at the stoic man's bearded face with an upside-down grin. "So. You excited?"

Ganondorf smiled bakc. "Somewhat. I suppose it has been a little while since I've gone deliberately out of my way to attract attention."

"You bet!" She did a little upside-down pirouette in midair, flipping over in a complicated loop-the-loop, coming to rest upright, and bobbing her little head along to an invisible beat. "Let's go. Let's do this! Let's hurt some people."

Her enthusiasm was infectious, much to Ganondorf's chagrin. "Get ready, then. I think today could be your big day."

She stopped punching the air and grinned maliciously. "Ohhhhh, tell me about it."

The streets were beginning to fill up with people going about their daily business. Some of them saw the two high-ranking Gerudo walking down the street in what was quickly becoming broad daylight and turned the other way. Others crossed the street, and others still went right back inside.

Eventually, someone screamed.

It had taken a while. They had passed through the marble and gold of the Economic District, in the shadows of banks, and through the immaculate green trees and brightly coloured flowers of the more expensive residential streets.

But now, at the front of the High Street, they had at last been outright pointed out. Civilians scattered, and guards came pouring out from everywhere, saw who exactly they were fighting, and scattered along with the civilians.

The two of them walked calmly down the now empty High Street. The road climbed at a steady angle, up and up past progressively larger and more ornate buildings, until it reached the gate to the Royal Complex.

It was there that they were stopped at last. A full platoon of soldiers pointed spears at them from behind hastily constructed barricades.

In front of the barricades was a purple kid. Vaati.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

Ganondorf said nothing, but drew his shining sword. Steam rose from the magical blade in the chill morning air. "Get out of my way."

The air seemed to grow colder, and sharper, until it bit at their exposed skin. Vaati rose slightly off the ground. "No."

Behind the barricade, soldiers stood and drew back the strings on their bows.

"Where is he!" Midna cracked her knuckles. "Tell me! You there, purple guy! Where is he?"

Vaati opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then tossed his hand forward in a sharp throwing gesture. This had no immediate visible effect, but then Midna was yanked sharply out of the air to crash into the paved street.

The soldiers behind the barricade launched their arrows, every one of them targeted at Ganondorf. He raised a hand, clenched it into a fist, and they shattered into dust that swirled in the now raging winds billowing around Vaati.

Midna was just regaining her footing when Ganondorf spotted him.

"Behind you!"

She turned just in time to duck as tiny black shards of magic hissed overhead. One of them clanked off the top of her helmet, ricocheting and shattering a nearby window in a tinkle of glass.

It seemed that everybody could tell that this was a momentous occasion. The soldiers fell into silence and clenched their weapons. Vaati turned and the gusts of wind lessened slightly. Even Ganondorf stopped to see what would happen.

Standing in the middle of the high street was Zant, his pale face hidden completely by a gigantic stone helmet that was at least twice as weird and three times as large as Midna's.

"The last of the Twili," he said softly, looking up at her. "Would you care to join your people, O Twilight Princess?"

She hovered in the air silently.

"I've been waiting for this day for a very long time, your Highness. Did you know? I told myself that there was something I would only tell you when I was about to kill you. Would you like to hear it now?"

By this point, everybody on the battlefield was unabashedly staring at the two facing off in the middle of the High Street.

"Uh…" said Vaati.

"The Twili are still alive," said Zant.

Ganondorf couldn't help but notice that Midna's fists were clenched, and her whole body was shaking. He could see the beginnings of powerful magic sparking up and down her arms.

"And now I've told you that, I suppose it's time for me to kill you."

With blinding speed, he shattered the road around him and sent razor-sharp chunks of stone flying at Midna. They never had a chance to reach her- the stone melted into slag and spattered, hissing, on the ground.

She extended her arms and clenched and unclenched her fists. In a flash, her entire body was engulfed in roiling flames that danced along her outstretched limbs and came to rest in each of her hands, burning with a blinding light and staggering heat.

"Let's get LIT."

Ganondorf sighed. So unprofessional. Midna was inevitably the action hero of her own bombastic story.

He turned lazily and caught a spear that had just been tossed at him from behind the soldier's makeshift barrier, whirling it around and tossing it straight back at the man who had thrown it. His helmet fell off when it hit him, and a man who couldn't have been more than twenty years old looked in horror at the wood and metal weapon that had pierced his armor and embedded itself in his chest.

Wasting no time, Ganondorf charged them and Vaati rose up to his eye level to meet him. Compacted air as sharp as any blade sliced at him, designed to sever his head from his shoulders. He brought his longsword up to meet the attack, and the wind dissipated with a crackle of magic against his superior blade.

"What in the-"

He did not give Vaati another chance, taking two quick steps forward, leaping, and punching the wind mage with a gauntleted fist, slamming him into the High Street hard enough that he physically bounced.

Vaati hit the ground again and barely managed to roll out of the way of Ganondorf's foot crashing into the spot where his head had just been, shattering the stone tile. His eyes were wide and panicked, Ganondorf noted with satisfaction. The two had never fought before but it was becoming apparent that Vaati was not accustomed to losing and was realizing just what he had gotten himself into.

Ganondorf eyed the soldiers and the now furious mage, fairly certain he could hold his own. He knew that Midna would now be fully occupied with exacting her revenge.

Behind him, in the center of the High Street, Midna was fully occupied with exacting her revenge.

She pitched fireball after fireball at Zant, who leapt from side to side erratically, remaining just a hair ahead of the projectiles with each burst. In a flutter of dark magic, he vanished and then reappeared directly behind Midna, moving his right arm sharply in a striking motion.

He did not physically hit her, but the magic behind the gesture was potent. Midna bucked to the side in an action reminiscent of being clouted on the side of the head, which was in fact what had just happened. She hit the wall of a nearby building sharply, but reoriented herself and kicked off it in the same way a swimmer would in water.

Launching herself bodily at Zant, she collided full-on with the towering stone mask that covered his entire face.

"I wanna see your eyes when you die!"

With a crackle of energy, the strands of orange hair tied behind her head coalesced and formed a glowing clawed limb. The ghostly hand wrapped itself around Zant's helmet and made to crush it.

_Whump._

With a dull thud that rattled the street itself, something exploded between Zant and Midna. Once again, she collided sharply with a stone wall, and Zant was tossed backwards down the High Street, skidding to a stop on the tiled road.

The stone helmet on Zant's head crumbled to dust, its protection spell broken. Midna lifted herself painfully to her diminutive feet, her own helmet feeling heavy on her head for the first time in ages, and dark blood dripping in rivulets from her chin.

The two looked each other in the eye for the first time in years.

Zant disappeared and reappeared at the spot where Midna had been standing moments before. His arrival was punctuated by an explosion of dust and stone, tiny chips of the street slicing into the parts of her that were not covered by her dark magical garment.

She launched more fireballs at him but it was a futile gesture, as he teleported again and blew up the ground where he arrived. This time it was in front of a building, and a part of its wall was blown out violently.

"Die! Die die die die die DIE!"

Zant was manic, Midna realized, and this was her only advantage. She zipped out of the way again, narrowly avoiding another materializing Zant and thudding detonation. She used her magic to pick up chunks of debris and hurl them at him, buying time as he was forced to conjure a magical shield that repelled the projectiles.

She flew into the blasted-open building, scanning the inside frantically. She was in an enormous, lavishly designed atrium, leading into several elegant spiral staircases. The design was outlandish, extravagant, unnecessary, and…. Stupid.

The atrium and spiral staircases were arranged around one single marble pillar in the centre of the room.

_Gods bless you, stupid nobles_, she had time to think before she dodged another explosive teleportation and made right for the pillar and, stopping there, counted to three.

On _three_, she hurled herself out of the way just as Zant appeared again right where she had been standing. The shock of his materialization shattered the gleaming floor of the atrium and fractured the pillar holding the roof up.

"Please don't kill him right away." She prayed, "Let him suffer."

Midna blasted the cracked support with the strongest magical detonation she could muster.

It worked, as the building had had quite enough, and the removal of its main support was the last straw. The groaning structure gave up, and the roof over their heads caved in and then collapsed, burying Midna and Zant underneath very expensive stone rubble.

* * *

There was a dull roaring thud from somewhere up ahead and to their right, and a plume of smoke billowed high into the morning air. They could see they sky now, high enough above the city wall and the lower quarters that at the right angles they could look down on the spreading field surrounding the city of Hyrule.

"That was a building collapsing," noted Viscen.

"Our distraction, yeah?"

"What else?"

"Are they there already?" Link asked. The Royal Complex, which he took to be their eventual destination, was still upwards from where they were, and the castle spires which rose high into the sky still seemed to stretch infinitely above them.

Colin explained for him. "They would have taken the High Street. It's a direct route through all of the upper Districts that runs right up to the castle itself." His voice sounded tinny with a soldier's helmet over his head, which ensured that his face would not be recognized.

The facemask on Viscen's helmet was still up. "We're going to enter through one of the side streets- oh, we go up this staircase here."

Link's legs were beginning to burn with the exertion of countless staircases, ladders, ramps, and hills climbed. The ascent had already taken up a good part of the day, and the sun was beginning to rise high into the sky that was all around them at this height.

None of the nobility or the city guards looked suspiciously at them, which was odd because Link felt very out of place. Mostly it was the absence of his sword, with which he was so familiar that he felt awkward going anywhere without it. Ashei seemed to feel the same way, although Viscen and Colin were quite at ease among the upper levels.

They came to a shining wall made of white stone that reflected the sunlight, which towered above them. Viscen and Colin saluted the guards standing duty and then spoke quietly to a bored-looking man with officer's epaulettes sitting behind a military checkpoint. After a few moments, he nodded and waved them through.

They were bathed in shadow on the other side of the wall. The structure must have been at least a hundred metres tall. Link could see armed and armoured men pacing back and forth on top of it.

"We're inside the Royal Complex now," Colin said. "That wall rings the highest layers of the city, and there are men on guard at all times."

"Even at night?" Link asked.

"Even at night," Viscen affirmed. "The gates are shut and the torches are lit, and the Nameless doesn't bother with such a tough meal. Not when it has easier and much more numerous prey down below."

"So now that we're here, yeah?" Ashei began, "Can you tell us exactly why we're here?"

"Yes," said Colin, "I would like to know."

"You mean, you don't know what we're doing, either?" Link looked at Viscen accusingly.

Viscen sighed and rolled his eyes. He looked quickly back and forth to ensure they weren't being watched. "We are here," he said under his breath, "to steal something."

"And what is that?" asked Link.

Viscen raised his hand. There was nothing in it. He closed his fist, and then opened it again. The glowing blue Gossip Stone was sitting in it; he clenched his fist once more and it disappeared. It was impossible for Link to tell if he had just seen magic or sleight of hand. "Something really important. Really, really important."

The Royal Complex was filled with buildings that shone flawlessly, nobles and guards dressed impeccably, and ornate hedge sculptures and pristine gardens. They passed a reflecting pool that was fed by an ornate fountain depicting the Goddess Nayru pouring the Water of Wisdom from her hands. Link wondered if, somewhere else in the Complex, there were corresponding statues of Din and Farore in their native elements.

"Here we are. The Royal Library of Hyrule." Viscen climbed the steps of the building, and Link, Ashei, and Colin followed him.

The Library was eerily silent, filled with the smell of books and finely polished wood. There was the dull rustle of pages being turned by researchers and scientists, and the odd muffled cough.

Viscen strode imperiously past the front desk. The puzzled lady behind the desk stepped out to meet him, but Viscen held up the Gossip Stone, and she quickly backed away, gesturing them forward.

Link leaned over to Colin. "What is that-"

"Shh!" It was Ashei who silenced him. She seemed petrified to be anywhere near the Royal Complex, as if she might be discovered at any second.

"But-"

"Shh!"

They passed through shelf after shelf of thick, old books until they reached the very back of the library where there were- to nobody's surprise- more stairs. Link supposed that in order to climb any higher, they would have to be inside the interconnected buildings. As to what their final destination was- he couldn't even guess.

It turned out that the Royal Library of Hyrule had four levels, and they climbed all the way to the top. The entrance to the highest floor was watched over by a soldier flipping idly through a book that was clearly pornographic, judging by the front cover. His eyes flicked upwards from the breasts depicted on the page, to linger momentarily on Ashei's hidden beneath her blouse, up to Viscen and Colin in their uniforms.

"No civilians," he said dully.

"They are escorted," said Viscen, who proving himself quite adept at bluffing his way through guardposts. "This is Doctor-"

"Mikau," said Link, not even knowing why he was saying it.

Viscen did not even blink, incorporating the fact smoothly, "Doctor Mikau and his wife, who are here to conduct research on the magical artifacts in the Vault."

The soldier reluctantly got up and disappeared inside the locked fourth floor of the library. He returned momentarily with an officer at his side.

"You've been sent to do some research in the Vault? Do you mind telling me what exactly that research is?"

"I'm sorry," Ashei said. "It's on behalf of Vizier Zant. We're under orders to keep it a secret."

The officer frowned and eyed the four of them testily. "Well, I can't just let you in here with out some sort of-"

Viscen withdrew the Gossip Stone and held it in front of the man's face.

"That's- well, I suppose- is that really?"

"Vizier Zant's," said Viscen, "Which you are no doubt aware means that we are granted access to his own personal room inside the Vault."

"Well, then. Go on ahead. You'll have to…" he trailed off, took a deep breath and reluctantly admitted, "You'll have to take them up there. I am not allowed inside the Vault."

"I understand." Viscen saluted and led them past the two soldiers.

The fourth floor was nearly deserted, with only soldiers and researchers in some sort of white official uniform. Viscen led them through more shelves full of books to a back wall, which slid aside to reveal a hidden staircase.

They climbed the staircase and opened another door to reveal a corridor, lined on both sides by windows and suspended high above the Royal Complex. Looking down, Link could see men in ornate dress passing by underneath. The corridor was leading them into another building, made of stone and high enough that the top could not be seen.

Once inside the stone building, they took several more flights of stairs through silent stone corridors. Three times they passed guardposts, which Viscen bypassed by means of lies and the Gossip Stone.

"What is this contraption?" Ashei asked.

It was, as far as Link could tell, a tiny wooden room.

"It's a lift," Colin explained. "They're common inside the castle. You get in, and it takes you up or down. The whole thing works on gears and ropes."

The four of them stepped inside the lift, and Viscen pulled a lever in the wall. There was a clunking noise, and then they began to rise. The four of them stood in silence while the machine clanked and rose for what seemed like an interminable period of time

When they opened the doors and got out, they were in a spacious, circular room that was well-lit and covered with plush red carpet. The Hyrule coat of arms was imprinted on it.

At the side of the room opposite the lift were six guards, standing at attention in front of a door.

This was no ordinary door.

It was made of solid, apparently immovable stone, and was at least three times the height of the tallest guard in front of it. The stone was completely featureless save for the same Royal coat of arms that graced the carpet imprinted on it at eye level.

Viscen saluted and presented the Gossip Stone.

Wordlessly, one of the soldiers took it, examined it, and then placed it in front of the coat of arms. When he let go of it, the Stone hovered in midair in front of the emblem.

Suddenly, the coat of arms flashed a bright blue, and in that instant there were innumerable runes and circles, impossibly complex, illuminated on the whole stone doorway. It was a magical seal, Link saw, powerful and effective. The Gossip Stone was apparently the key.

The soldiers stepped aside as the giant stone doorway slid apart in two. They stepped inside the Vault, and the stone slid shut behind them.

"Amazing," Colin said, "I was certain they were going to fight us. How did you get the Gossip Stone to work?"

"Don't worry about it," Viscen said. "I know a few magic tricks myself, kid."

"Just what is that Stone?" asked Link.

Viscen tossed it to him, and he caught it. It was cold in his palm, and did not warm to the touch. "Magical amplifier. You pour the right magic in this thing, it spits it out a thousand times stronger- it can do just about anything, if you're skilled enough to use it. Powerful mages usually use them to create unbreakable seals- that only open with the same Stone that crafted the seal."

"Then how'd we get in?" Ashei poked at the now placid rock in Link's palm. "If this wasn't the stone that made the seal?"

"Oh, the Vault seal is made to open to any Gossip Stone. To get into a specific Vault, you'd need the specific stone for that Vault."

The room that they were in was perfectly round, and a flawless white. Although there was no visible source of light, the room was so bright as to blind them all momentarily. Along the perimeter of the room was a series of featureless stone doors identical to the one they had just come through.

"So we're here for Zant's Vault, yeah?" Ashei began examining each of the doors, although to Link they all seemed identical. "That's what you said several downstairses ago."

"That was just a lie," Viscen said, as if it were obvious. "Because nobody ever gets into the Vault that we're after."

"How do you tell the difference?" Link squinted at the door nearest him, but he couldn't discern any sort of identifying feature.

"They don't expect anybody in here without powerful magic," Colin said, "But I can tell you that one there is my dad's. I've been here before."

"That is Rusl's Gossip Stone then, yeah?"

"One of them," Colin took it from Link and held it up to Rusl's door, and it slid open to reveal a room filled with armour, books, and weaponry of all sorts. There were also several decidedly powerful-looking magical artifacts- such as canes topped with red and blue jewels that glowed ominously, or a glass bottle that appeared to contain some kind of malevolent spirit. "He has two. One he uses as a key, and another he kept in here. I took the one in here- he never uses it anyways, so it'll be while since he realizes it's missing."

Viscen, meanwhile, was circling the room and examining each of the doors in turn. "This one's Zant's… Vaati's… I dunno who this guy is… Sahasrahla's here, he's a big-shot seer and advisor… Ikana, he's part of the Royal Family… Komali, he's the head of the Rito tribe… yeah, Darunia's got one, too… And here we go."

"Who?" Ashei hurried over to the doorway Viscen indicated. "Who? Who is it?"

"Princess Zelda." Viscen turned to Colin and held out his hands. "Toss." He caught the Gossip Stone Colin threw him.

He held the Stone up in front of the doorway and, once again, a series of intricate runes and designs appeared on the doorway. It opened, and all four of them looked eagerly inside.

Zelda's Vault was empty. There was a completely empty room. On the far wall was another door, with a note pinned to it. Link took the note and read it aloud.

"Keep looking, Ganondorf."

Viscen plucked the paper from his hands. "Hm. But there's another door here. Maybe she put all her stuff back there?"

"But the note says 'keep looking,' yeah?" Ashei flipped the yellowed paper over, but there was nothing else written on it. It looked very old. "So why would she hide whatever it is just behind another door? Doesn't seem very smart?"

"Still," said Viscen, looking thoroughly confused. "We'd better check." He held up the Gossip Stone once more.

Link could tell right away that something had gone wrong. For starters, the arcane blue symbols did not appear- instead an image of three gold triangles shone on the stone door. Link recognized it as a part of the Royal Crest.

There was a crackling sound, and the Gossip Stone flashed brightly in Viscen's hand-

"Agh!"

-and leapt out of it, clattering to the floor. Viscen clutched his burnt hand. "What the hell is going on!"

"The protection on the Vault must be stronger than the Gossip Stone." Colin beckoned to see the wound, and Viscen turned his hand over to reveal a nasty burn.

"It can't be…" he hissed through clenched teeth. "I was… told me… It would open anything."

"If Zelda set that herself," Link picked up the stone, "I bet that anybody but Ganondorf wouldn't even come close to getting in there."

"It… should have worked. Ow!"

He thought back. An odd thought occurred to him. "Viscen. Why did you save me? When I first arrived here, you three showed up out of nowhere to save me from the Nameless."

Viscen frowned. "What are you talking about? We're Gerudo. It's what we do."

"No, but… nobody goes out at night. Why were you _there_?"

He looked at Link oddly, and then down at the Stone in his hand. "Because… because Ganondorf told us to be. He… he knew you would be there."

A complete stranger, rescued on the street. Midna had gone out of her way to ensure he saw the things he needed to join the Gerudo. He had become a member within a day, and a day later was now on a mission high inside the castle itself. Why?

_Princess Zelda… is one of the three most powerful people in Hyrule…_

Ganondorf had said that. The others were himself, and…

Whom?

"Link." Viscen appeared to have come to the same realization. "Try to open the Vault."

"But-" Ashei began, before Viscen silenced her with a wave of his hand.

Link stepped before the monolithic stone, and calmly raised the Gossip stone high in the air. It flashed again- blindingly bright- and not blue, but a burnished, glowing gold. The three-triangles symbol shone on the doorway, and, on the back of the hand that held the Gossip Stone tightly.

"What is this…?" Colin whispered reverently, and Ashei stared, awestruck. Viscen was similarly silent, but his eyes glittered with some unreadable emotion.

Link was filled with an eerie sense of purpose, although to what ends he had no idea. All he knew was that an overwhelming power flowed from him, over him, _through_ him. He felt as though he could take on an entire army- or maybe even Zelda, or Ganondorf.

The Gossip Stone burned with an impossible heat, but it was nothing next to the power in his clenched hand. The insignia on his skin glowed brighter and brighter, and so did the matching symbol on the doorway.

At last, the glowing ceased, and when it did, the doorway vanished. It did not slide away, or lift open, but just disappeared.

Viscen lifted himself to his feet, and the four of them together stepped into the small room that had been opened to them.

There was a man already inside.

He had been waiting for some time, as there was the remains of a meal on a plate at his feet, and he set aside a thick book after marking his place by folding the page over.

Colin moaned in what could only be described as despair.

The man was dressed in armour that looked to value comfort over protection. Worn leather and weatherbeaten cloth was the rule. The palms of his leather gloves were worn to a shine, and Link could tell that his hands would be callused and rough, as well.

Ashei scrabbled at her waist for a sword that wasn't there, and then swore and balled her hands into fists. She was shaking.

He sighed, stood, and picked up a sword that was leaning on the empty pedestal he had been resting against. The blade was nothing special, just a simple arming sword. It was dull, and deeply grooved with nicks and scratches, although Link could tell instantly that its edge had been sharpened to a deadly point. The haft, made of wood, fit perfectly into the man's hand. This was a weapon that had seen a lot of use.

Viscen lowered his spear into a combat stance, handling it with the ease of an expert. "Run," he said, without looking at them. "There'll be others, you'll have to handle them on your own. For Goddess' love, run."

The man who had been waiting for them in the Vault looked at Link, who was still holding the Gossip Stone in his hand, and smiled. It was a fatherly smile, kindly and reassuring.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Rusl."

* * *

So. It might not be obvious, but there are a lot of important things happening here, and a lot of characters are manipulating events. Of course there is one _particular_ character that is pulling most of these strings, which may become apparent next chapter.

I wanted to devote more time to the whole battle between Midna and Zant, but I also did not want it occupying a majority of this chapter. I sort of reached a little compromise, so let me know what you thought of that, please.

And again- if you've got any requests for characters, let me know and I'll put 'em in. How about a challenge- try to come up with the most obscure Zelda character you can.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter has it all: epic villain duels, surprising revelations, hidden clues, chase scenes, and a shocking twist.

And this is only the first action chapter.

* * *

6.

Running for Dear Life. Tactical Retreat. A Chance Meeting.

* * *

He was faster than anybody Link had ever seen.

One second, Rusl was politely introducing himself, and the next he had darted forward and was only barely met in time by the butt of Viscen's spear. He caught the end of it and tried to wrest it out of Viscen's grasp, but Viscen countered by bringing the blade across to meet Rusl's sword.

"Link, what are you doing? Run! Now!"

Rusl lifted his sword into the air, forcing Viscen's spear up with it. He used his free hand to punch the Gerudo in the stomach, and then swiped downwards with his blade. Viscen once more narrowly avoided death, bringing his armoured right arm up just in time to deflect the blade. Rusl's sword hissed along his gauntleted arm in a shower of sparks, scoring the metal deeply.

"Get out of here!"

But still he hesitated. Colin and Ashei were already gone, but how could he leave Viscen to die? Although there wasn't much he could do without a sword, he felt obliged to do whatever he could to save the lives of his comrades.

"Link, I'll be fine- just go! Now! That's an order!" Viscen parried two more strikes.

He turned and left Zelda's Vault. In the central circular room, Colin and Ashei were waiting at the sealed stone doorway that led outside.

"Link, we need the stone-"

"We've got to get out of here!"

Without looking he tossed the Gossip Stone at them, and then sprinted right past the door and into Rusl's vault.

There was a plethora of weapons to choose from, many of which were no doubt magical and powerful, but he felt it was best to stick with what he knew. He seized a sword edged with gold. The blade shone with deadly sharpness.

It fit perfectly into his hand, almost as if he had wielded it before. He gave the sword an experimental twirl- the weight was perfect.

His whole being still thrumming with the power he had used to open the Vault, he dashed back across the circular vestibule and into Zelda's Vault, where Viscen was still managing to hold his own against Rusl.

They both looked up.

"Link, no!" Viscen's shout went unheeded.

He made brief eye contact with Rusl, and the Commandant smiled grimly and nodded.

* * *

"Midna!"

Ganondorf coughed. The High Street was swathed in a cloud of dust kicked up by the collapsing building. He couldn't see anybody, trapped in a world that was suddenly veiled in gray.

"Midna! You alive?"

The countless tiny chips of masonry burned his throat. He tore a strip of cloth off the cape on his back and held it over his mouth and nose.

A sharp rock flew out of the gray cloud surrounding him and struck him in the back, high, on his shoulder. It was followed quickly by two more similar projectiles, which struck him in the calf and chest.

Silence.

Three more rocks, simultaneously, flew at him from three different directions. They were larger than the first three, and by ducking quickly he managed to avoid two. The last one clipped him in the back of the head and drew blood.

The barrage of stone was not letting up now, raining down on him from all angles. Ganondorf ran, as fast as he could, in any direction, trying to avoid the deadly rain.

Rocks flew at him, at eye level, and he barely managed to deflect them with a hastily summoned magic shield. No matter where he ran to, he could not escape the opaque wall of dust or the steady assault of jagged masonry.

"Stop this," he said.

Vaati's voice echoed from all around him. Instead of the unintimidating tones of a child, the magical amplification and cold menace in his words shook the air around Ganondorf. "You struck me," he declared darkly.

"I think you've-" Ganondorf batted a piece of stone twice the size of his head out of the air and sidestepped a flying piece of the High Street. "- quite made up for that."

"Nobody strikes me and lives," the wind mage calmy intoned. The air around Ganondorf was moving furiously now, and he was trapped in the center of a whirling dervish of dust with magically propelled rocks assaulting on him from all sides.

He was struck in the back of the head, hard enough to blur his vision and fill his ears with a dull ringing. More missiles pelted him in the back, the legs, the arms. He was forced to his knees.

"How old are you, Ganondorf?" He was clouted in the stomach and, for the first time, felt real pain as his breath left him in a rush. "How ancient? How powerful?"

Another blow to the head. He gritted his teeth. "You want to stop this, Vaati."

Part of a house hit him in the back, hard, hard enough to shatter. Ganondorf collapsed in the street, and then forced himself back up again. Vaati taunted him. "You are going to die here, today, broken in the High Street. The Princess Zelda will live forever."

"I have a long and fruitful rule ahead of me, wind mage, with your head hanging above the city gates." A stone swept his right arm from underneath him, and he collapsed again.

Before he could get up, he was pelted once, twice, thrice in quick succession. "You? King! Ha! You're nothing more than a useless plaything of the gods. Forever a footnote in the pages of history. Doomed to die eternally on the point of the same blade, again and again and again. Pathetic."

An enormous boulder, as big as the Gerudo King himself, fell from the sky to dash him to pieces. A killing blow, on the heels of this revelation. Ganondorf lazily reached out for it, and it dissolved into dust to join the storm swirling around him.

"What did you say?"

"What? How did you-!" More rocks came flying at him at once, dozens, and Ganondorf dissolved them out of the air the exact same way.

The back of his hand glowed with power- a burning gold insignia.

The enchantment was dispelled with a dull _thump_ of rushing air, and the cloud of dust surrounding Ganondorf at last lifted.

"Damn…!" Vaati snatched up a sword from a fallen soldier, but the effort was futile. Ganondorf disarmed him easily, leaving the blade to clatter uselessly against the cobblestones, and wrapped one hand around the mage's throat. "What did you say?" he demanded.

Vaati smiled widely. "Don't you _know?_" he laughed, childlike once more.

"Know what." When the mage kept on laughing, Ganondorf slammed him into the shattered road. Bluish blood ran from Vaati's nose and mouth. "Tell me!"

Vaati rolled over. "It's just a dance."

Before Ganondorf could react, or do anything, Vaati slammed his fist into the stone beneath him.

The roadway detonated violently, further pelting Ganondorf with countless chips of jagged stone, to no effect. For a split second, though, he was distracted.

In the split second Vaati launched himself upwards. Ganondorf felt a small hand on his face and the surge of gathering magic.

Desperately, he slashed upwards, the blade of light coming into contact with the charged magic in the wind mage's hand. With a sharp crackle, Vaati's spell sizzled off the blade of the sword, and he was tossed to the ground, sliding to a stop in the heels of his shoes.

Ganondorf swung twice more, but Vaati was light enough and quick enough to dance out of the way, flinging bolts of magic behind him at the charging Ganondorf.

Something hit him in the back, hard, hard enough to overbalance him and send him crashing to the stone in a hasty roll away from another series of magical attacks.

"I DID IT!" Zant was standing atop the wreckage, eyes unfocused in rapture. Two opponents now, then.

Breaking into a curving dash towards the triumphant Zant, Ganondorf managed to remain just ahead of the arcing bolts of magic that both viziers were now launching at him.

He tried to slash Zant's neck from his shoulders, but the Twili twisted and pirouetted impossibly, laughing the whole time.

"She's dead! She's dead!"

Zant dodged again but this time Ganondorf managed to land a heavy kick that sent him sprawling; he was prevented from striking a killing blow because of Vaati leaping forward and striking him from behind. He deflected one mage's blow without taking his eyes off the other, but it was too late- Zant was up and on his feet again.

Ganondorf not only suddenly outnumbered but was facing two supremely skilled opponents- the odds were increasingly tilting against even his favour.

"I am the last! The greatest! The Twilight Princess is dead!" Zant continued to screech his victory maniacally, even as he continued to fight.

"You'll die here!" Vaati seemed just as wild. "I will kill you! I will break this pathetic charade!"

"Dead!" Zant was fuelled by some otherwordly madness, his magic was ferocious, his barrage unceasing. "Dead! Dead! Dead!"

Vaati was just as possessed in his viciousness, determined to strike a killing blow. "What then? When the Goddesses' plan lies crushed beneath my heels in the High Street? Tell me, Ganondorf, WHAT THEN?"

The two circled closer, and Ganondorf worked furiously to stave off their attacks. "What are you talking about? Tell me! I demand it!"

"Perhaps Din herself will manifest in fire to save you? Perhaps the Gods themselves will pluck you from death's jaws!"

"I HAVE KILLED HER! I AM INVINCI-"

Zant stopped midsentence and looked down.

There, half buried in collapsed stone, was a woman. Tall, voluptuous, and with hair as fiery as any Ganondorf had ever seen. Her skin was grey and slashed open in many places, dark blood ran in streams down her face, her arms, her torso. She had lunged forward and wrapped both her arms around Zant's left leg. The mage tried furiously to yank it free, but could not.

Midna's gleaming yellow eyes were wide and manic. "Burn," she said.

The fire flew from her fingertips and Zant burst into flames, and she held tightly onto him even as her own magic scorched her arms and face. Twin cries of agony rent the air, although Midna's was laced with victorious laughter. The smell of burning flesh and hair was repulsive.

Suddenly the fire went out, Vaati depriving the flames of the air they needed to survive.

Zant exploited this newfound opening and kicked Midna in the face, shattering her nose and sending her sprawling backwards in a spray of blood. The two Twili were both severely wounded and heavily burned, half of Midna's face reduced to an angry dark weal.

Ganondorf darted forward and hauled her bodily out of the stone fragments trapping her, and she screamed again as he did it- at least one of her legs was broken, twisting sharply beneath her.

"No!" Vaati tried to stop him, but Ganondorf swung his sword and sent a beam of energy flying at him, and he was forced to block it.

By the time he had recovered, Ganondorf was gone.

"Where… are… you…?" Midna panted, slung ignominiously over Ganondorf's shoulder. She weighed much more than a small imp now, and was nearly as tall as Ganondorf himself. "Have… to kill… Need… to kill… him…"

"We have to get out of here," Ganondorf said, running at full force through the back alleys and dark passages of Hyrule, leaping down staircases and, in some occasions, off bridges. Always heading down.

"Take… me back…" she struggled to speak. "Still… alive…"

Ganondorf readjusted his grip. His gauntlets were slick with her blood. "You can kill him on a later occasion," he said. "Right now worry about your own self."

"Gan…on…dorf…"

"What is it?"

"I…"

"Don't die."

"I… need… a drink…"

"Don't die!" he exhorted.

She swung limply in his grip, but breathed still. "…won't. Magic will…"

"Midna!"

"Magic… will pro… protect me… I have the…" she spit out.

He forced himself to run faster, down and down and down.

"Shadow… the Shadow… will…"

* * *

It was quickly becoming apparent that he had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

Both Link and Viscen were fighting furiously, desperate to slip in one strike past the lightning-fast guard of Rusl. The Commandant seemed to be everywhere at once and, although there were two of them, the fight was decidedly unfair.

Link swung the gilded sword he had taken from Rusl's own Vault and met the Commandant's worn blade; the force of the impact shook his arm all the way up to his shoulder.

Rusl was already in motion again, sweeping backwards to block Viscen's spear and then hooking a foot beneath the older man's knee and sending him sprawling.

Viscen's life was saved by Link hurrying to distract the Commandant, and the two of them sparred ferociously, blades meeting and then coming apart in a flurry of strikes.

It was increasingly obvious that there was no way they could win this fight.

Viscen had lifted himself to his feet again and charged, taking his spear in both hands and cross-checking Rusl hard across his back; but once again was too slow to get a clean hit in. Rusl's sword embedded itself deeply in the wood of the spear, nearly cutting the weapon in two.

"Time to go!" Viscen shouted, twisting the spear as hard as he could. Both his weapon and Rusl's escaped their grips and clattered to the floor. Viscen kicked them into the corner of the Vault.

He turned and ran, pulling Link away from the fight.

Colin and Ashei were long gone. The bodies of three soldiers who had been guarding the door lay silently on the floor in pools of blood, the rest were nowhere to be seen.

They rushed towards the elevator. The doors of the shaft had been pried open and the wooden lift was nowhere to be seen. In its place was the network of ropes and pulleys that operated the machine, disappearing into the dark shaft below.

Link half-turned to see Rusl already running after them. Viscen leapt into the shaft and grabbed a rope, sliding down it into the darkness, out of sight.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Link followed suit, stabbing through his coat with the sword and creating a makeshift sheath, snatching a rope and sliding with dizzying speed into the blackness below. They fell in the darkness.

"Link! Stop here. Here!"

He gripped the rope hard and forced himself to stop beside Viscen, although the thick twine sliced painfully into his ungloved hands, and the nobleman's coat flapped uncomfortably about his knees. He missed his old tunic.

They were in front of what was obviously another door for the lift. Light shone out into the darkness through closed wooden double doors.

"Come on, swing, we can break it." Viscen started swinging back and forth on the rope, picking up momentum. Link followed suit. They swung in an increasing arc, until their boots bumped against the closed doors of the shaft.

"Hurry!"

They kicked off the doors and swung until their backs bumped into the other side of the shaft, and then fell forward, colliding with the wood hard, feet first. It buckled but did not break.

Above them, Link could hear another person sliding down the ropes.

On the next swing, they kicked out and smashed the shaft door open. Propelled backwards, Link hit the wall hard and, on the return swing, was able to get a foothold on the floor outside and haul himself, out, reaching back to help Viscen.

They were in an unfamiliar corridor, lit warmly with torches and tiled with fine marble. Artwork hung on the walls in intervals. The opulence and order was as far as one could get from the jumbled disorganization of the lower portions of the city.

"What now?" Link asked.

"Keep going. Find a window. We gotta get out of this castle."

They were at the end of the corridor when Rusl came swinging out of the elevator shaft, not even breaking stride as he hit the ground running.

Link and Viscen burst through a set of double doors and into a spiral staircase. They slid down the banister to the bottom and picked another door, this one leading to an empty atrium. Another door took them through a parlour filled with chatting bourgeoisie who were too shocked to even shout at the disturbance, and the one after that through an indoor garden of exotic trees and flowers.

"You're kidding me," Link said. The garden was in a room made almost entirely of glass, giving Link a view of the city outside. He had not realized how high up they were- the city beneath them was nothing more than a mass of shapes, nearly infinite in complexity.

"Wish I was, kid. Try not to kill yourself." Viscen threw a potted shrub to the floor, backed up and took a running jump through one of the glass walls, falling out of sight. Link heard him land heavily and then jump again right away.

"Hell." Link hesitated until Rusl came barrelling into the room, skidding to a stop when he saw Link standing still in front smashed-out pane.

"You're going to jump, aren't you?" he asked resignedly.

"Are you going to let me go?"

The Commandant sighed. "Can't. Sorry."

"Then I guess I have to jump."

"Guess so. Good luck."

"You too." Link hurled himself after Viscen, landing in a roll on a rooftop below. Rusl was already in the air after him, and Link was on his feet and leaping down to another rooftop.

He could see Viscen making leaps futher down the castle's structure. The building was monstrous in size, essentially another city sitting atop the massive one below it.

Link landed on a sloped rooftop and slid down it in a hail of falling tiles. Rusl, moving faster than he was, skidded up behind him and tried to slice his legs out from beneath him in a sweeping stroke of his blade.

Unprepared, Link barely met it with his own sword, blocking clumsily. The hasty movement smashed both weapons into the roof, and Link's sword rattled out of his grip and fell.

He dodged Rusl's sudden attack and leapt after it, snatching the golden-edged blade out of the air and then landing in a rooftop garden. His feet ached in their unfamiliar shoes. He looked frantically about for Viscen, but the older man was nowhere to be seen- he had lost him in the momentary distraction.

Rusl thudded to a landing in front of Link and stepped forward swinging. Their blades clashed briefly before Link caught the Commandant's in his own and forced the locked weapons upwards, catching Rusl off guard.

"Pretty-"

Link punched him in the face with his free hand hard enough to jam his finger.

"Ow."

He swung again but Rusl swept under the blow, catching his arm and flipping him onto his back. Link used the momentum to roll backwards, flipping adroitly to his feet and settling into a fighting stance.

"Like I was saying, you're pretty good." Rusl was breathing hard.

"You aren't too bad yourself." Link was panting as well.

"I'm the best." He lunged, but Link ducked and took a flying leap off the roof. He could see the lush green lawns of the Royal Complex not too far below, dotted in places with wandering nobles and patrolling guards. Three more leaps and another controlled slide sent him crashing to the grass, more broken tiles thudding to the ground around him.

Circling, he could see a place where the wall surrounding the Complex was shattered and scorched, with smoke rising in the air. There were no guards stationed, and the gates had been blasted apart.

He took off in a sprint for this opening, bursting through the smashed gate and into a war zone that looked as though it had been a street at one point. Weaving his way through the wreckage he bumped into a lone figure- a small purple child.

"What in the-"

He was already gone. Behind him, Rusl passed by the same kid. Link heard him say, "Hey."

"Rusl? Uh… hi?"

He started weaving through buildings, hoping to lose the Commandant in the hopelessly complicated maze of the city. Link had the foresight to head down whenever possible, making more leaps from buildings and off bridges, shunting aside confused pedestrians.

Still Rusl dogged his every step. Link recognized that they were headed for the river that ran through the center of the City.

The chase wound its way through several more alleyways and marrow side streets before they burst into the wide-open plaza of the Market District, shops filled with customers at the height of the day.

Link ran along the river, where countless boats and barges were moored on a haphazard network of docks and piers. Children fished idly from bridges over the river while Zoras swum lazily by below.

They were both slowing now, the long chase taking its toll on both of them. Link noticed that, although they had passed by several guards, Rusl had not called out for assistance. Perhaps the Commandant had some code of honour that he would not see broken.

He weaved his way through the throngs along the riverbank, but he already knew that trying to disappear into the crowd was useless. Just behind him, Rusl was elbowing people out of his way, forcing a path through to Link.

Outrunning him seemed to be a bad option. Accidentally knocking a redheaded woman into a fruit stall, he scanned the craft lined along the riverbanks and the buildings along the street, searching frantically for some means of escape.

"Hey! Over here!"

There was a girl standing on the deck of a moored boat, a one-or-two person vessel. It consisted of nothing more than a tiny deck and a small cabin, the whole thing painted red and topped with an old lion figurehead hanging from the bow.

The girl undid the ropes mooring it to the dock, and began steering it out towards the middle of the river. She waved Link over, "Come on!"

He took four long strides along the dock and leapt, sailing through the air and just barely coming to land on the deck. Rusl followed just behind him along the dock but skidded to a stop at the edge. The boat had drifted out too far into the river for him to make the leap.

He was doubled over, panting. "That was… some chase… Once again, my compliments." The Commandant waved a hand in salute. "No shame in losing to a skilled opponent."

Link returned the gesture. "Till we meet again."

"Oh, bet on it!" Rusl shouted as they drifted even further away from him, picking up speed as the current of the river caught them. Pedestrians were starting to turn and mutter, realizing just who was standing on the dock yelling out at Link. "I suppose I'd better get back up," he said, turning, "You know, there'll be hell to pay because of you."

"Look in to a different line of work, then!"

Rusl laughed and disappeared into the crowd. Link still remained on guard, It was difficult to believe that the Commandant would just give up so easily after such a heated pursuit.

There was a tap on his shoulder.

Link whirled around and nearly took the girl's head off, stopping himself just in time. She didn't even flinch. "Whoah. Easy. Calm down."

"Oh, I- I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled. "First thing's first. Pay up."

"What?"

She pointed at the gilded sword Link had stolen from Rusl's Vault. "You owe me. Bigtime. I just saved your ass from the god-damned Commandant, I expect some restitution."

So this was why she had helped him. A quick profit. Still, he couldn't complain- he owed her his life, after all. "…fine." He handed over the sword.

She hefted it, running her finger delicately along the blade and nodding appreciatively when it drew blood. "This is really sharp. You steal this from inside the castle?"

Link nodded. He guessed it was better that she think that than reveal why he had really been up there. Although, now that he thought about it, he still didn't have a clear idea what that reason was.

"This is… three or four thousand rupees, easily. I've never seen a sword this nice… Of course, it's hot, so I'd have to fence it at a discount… especially if they knew where it had come from…"

She was… pretty. Link would have said beautiful, except that she broadcast this aura of toughness that didn't seem to fit with the word. Link watched lean muscles move beneath the smooth skin of her arms and legs, tanned a rich brown by many days no doubt spent working on deck, the river being one of the few places in the city where the sun hit the residents all day long. Her hair was the color of gold- or at least it had originally been- it was sun-bleached now, and tied atop her head in some unique curled style he had never seen before.

"Hey, you payin' attention over there?"

"Oh. Yes."

She tossed the sword lightly from hand to hand. "I got a deal for you. I know some people in this town. I think I can get about three thousand for the sword here, how about I give you half. That's my seller's fee, as well as a bonus for saving your life."

He thought it over. Did he really need money? The first thought was _yes_, but then he remembered Ganondorf steadfastly refusing to accept charity from Telma the night he had been rescued. And besides, fifteen hundred rupees was fifteen hundred richer than he had been at the beginning of the day. "Deal."

She smiled. "Excellent. My name's Tetra."

"Link."

"Good to meetcha, Link. Anywhere I can drop you off?"

"Uh… do you know the Spirit Temple?"

The grin fell off her face. "Do I know the Spirit Temple?" She opened the door to the tiny cabin, and Link could see a cramped bunk, sea chest, and some oddly glowing navigational equipment. The ship was powered by magic, it seemed. "So you're with the Gerudo."

"Uh, yes. I only just joined up. I actually haven't been in Hyrule very long- just a few days."

She spun a wheel, and the ship turned in the water. "Those guys are a piece of work, let me tell you."

Link leaned against the prow of the tiny ship, frowning. "How do you mean?"

She shrugged. "They're dangerous. That Ganondorf can talk all he wants about fighting for us, but too many innocent people end up dying for my tastes."

"What did you say?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You didn't know? Just the other day, one of the magistrates, Dotour- murdered. Lot of upper-class citizens have been dying. You're part of a terrorist group, Link."

"Yeah?" he said, "And what about you? Who are you?"

Tetra twirled the gilded sword and winked at him. "I'm just an old-fashioned mercenary, doing what I can to get by, sailin' up and down the river Hylia. Did you know, it runs all the way down to the sea of you follow it long enough? It takes a couple months, though, I've only ever been that far down twice."

"Well, if you're a mercenary, doesn't that involve violence, too?" He was suddenly suspicious of Ganondorf and his motivations, but he hid it by questioning Tetra. "Bit hypocritical of you to call us terrorists when you're little better."

She gave him a smile that seemed to bemoan his innocence. "Ah, but the difference, Link, is that I don't lie about it. Talk to a Gerudo for five minutes, and you'd think they believe that they're on a mission from the Gods themselves."

"You can't deny that things in this city need to change."

She sighed, joining him on the deck and watching the riverbank drift by. A green-haired woman was doing her laundry, and two children were fishing with bored looks on their faces. "People have survived hundreds of years the way things are now. Do you honestly think you lot can do any better?"

"We can try," he said, but he didn't really say what he was thinking.

Tetra voiced his suspicions for him, however. "There's one thing you need to understand about this city, Link- everybody's just playing you."

He thought of Tatl, lying to the crowds in the Market District. Midna, who was able to cajole a bargain out of her. Cremia, coming to town to make a profit and then abandoning the place when night fell. And now, Tetra, who had saved his life only to demand money from him.

"If you want to survive in this place, you need to look out for yourself, first and foremost. You can't rely on anybody else, and you can't let anybody else take advantage of you."

The sun had crossed the highest part of its arc across the sky, and was now slowly descending into the jagged edges of the city surrounding them. They passed under the shadow of one particularly high tower with tall stained glass windows along its circumference.

"Everybody you meet here is using you, Link. Everybody. Remember that, if you want to survive."

"Even you, then."

She winked again, tapping the sword she had taken from him. "Especially me."

"Is that really what this place is, then? Nothing but thousands upon thousands of liars? Cheaters? Thieves? Gods, no wonder things are this way."

She seemed regretful to have put him in this mood. "When you put it that way…"

He was suddenly filled with a great melancholy. Here he was, lost in an infinite city so different from anywhere he had been before, filled with darkness both in the hearts of its people and the streets at night. "So then what should I do? I want to help people, but you're telling me they'll just take advantage of me."

"Not everybody's like that, Link. And I'll tell you what you should do."

"What?"

The ship bumped into a wooden dock. They were in a part of the city Link had never seen before. "You should let me buy you a drink."

* * *

There are certain types of scenes that take a tremendous amount of skill to write and are maddeningly difficult to get right. One of these is fights. I'd like to think I got this one down pretty well, but I'm not sure. Let me know how you think it turned out.

Also, expect chapter updates to slow down a little bit as we get into the holiday season and things get busy, expect maybe two or three more before the new year. Things should pick up again after then.


	7. Chapter 7

With the recommendation of my previous story, _Worst Day Ever_, I am now officially a TV-Tropes recommended author. This places me into some very elite company, so I'm pretty pleased.

Lot of important details in this one that could go under the radar. Keep your head up!

* * *

7.

Dealing with Pirates. The Great Fairy's Fountain. The Man Selling Faces.

* * *

Two pints of rich brown beer thumped down in front of Link, the head slopping over and running down the sides of the steins.

"To business," Tetra said, taking a long draught.

They were in a seedy-looking and sparsely populated tavern in one of the lower and more destitute parts of town. The bartender was a tough-looking Goron replete with plenty of battle scars, one of the first that Link had ever seen in this city.

"So about what I said earlier," Tetra began. "About the Gerudo."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not saying they're bad people." She took another drink. "To be completely honest, I admire Ganondorf and so do a lot of people in this city. But what I am saying is that you have to make sure you're absolutely certain what you're getting yourself into."

"You gonna charge me money for this advice?" He was finding himself in a very cynical mood, especially after the number of times he had nearly died today.

She shook her head. "Not if I'm gonna change your opinion about this place. But listen…"

Tetra glanced back and forth. Nobody was listening. "There is something suspicious about Ganondorf. Something… not right."

He frowned. "Like what?"

"Well… have you heard of the Gerudo?"

Link's only reply was to look at her oddly.

"No, no- not you guys. I'm talking about the race of nomads who lived on the plains outside the city. They died off hundreds of years ago."

Link nodded, remembering Ganondorf explaining the story to him. "There was a drought… and Zelda refused their king aid…"

"Yeah, yeah," Tetra nodded. "But here's something I bet he didn't tell you- that king's name."

"What was it?"

"Ganondorf," she said, reclining back in her chair and triumphantly sipping her beer as if she had just proved an irrefutable point.

Link drank some of his. "You don't think… no…"

She raised an eyebrow. "That they're the same person? Maybe. He named his group of rebels after them, didn't he?"

Link was just now remembering how Midna was the last of the Twili people, and she was the second-in-command to Ganondorf, save perhaps Viscen. But what did that mean? "But… he would have to be hundreds of years old if that were true."

"So?" Tetra pointed up, towards the roof. Link was momentarily confused before he realized she was indicating the layers of city stacked above them. "How old is Princess Zelda? As far as anybody knows, she goes all the way back to the founding of Hyrule itself. What's keeping her alive? Who says Ganondorf can't be the exact same?"

He couldn't deny that it was a possibility.

"Tell you what," she said, "Look it up. Most of the historical records in this city are fabricated, but there is one place where they keep nothing but the truth- the Royal Library of Hyrule."

Link cursed inwardly. He had been there only earlier that day, and had absolutely no desire to return in the near future.

"If there's any information about Zelda or Ganondorf or the Gerudo in this city, that's where they'll be. If you can get into the upper level where they keep the good stuff, I bet that's where you'll find your answer."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Smirking, Tetra tossed back the last of her drink and raised her hand in the air. Two more pints soon found their way onto the table in front of them. "I have another little proposition for you."

Link finished his first drink and started on his second. "I'm naturally excited about that," he said, "Seeing as how I wasn't even consulted about the first one."

"Saved your life, didn't I?"

He drummed his fingers against the table thoughtfully. He was still dressed in nobleman's clothing, although by this point it was beat far enough to hell that he fit right in among the slums. "Go on, then."

"You've got fifteen hundred rupees still coming to you from that sword. Give me those, and I can get you into the Library for one day."

"Fifteen hundred?" He waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. Let's say… five hundred."

Now it was her turn to dismiss him outright. "Access to the single greatest repository of information in the city. Do you have any idea what that means? People would kill for that."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Still on that?" she sighed. "I'll be simple about it. You can't. It's up to you if you trust me or not."

He hesitated, and then said, "Fine. For one thousand."

Tetra reluctantly offered her hand, and they shook on the deal. He felt an odd twinge when he did so, though, and she seemed apprehensive as well, for some reason.

"Give me three days," she said. "And I'll get you into that library."

* * *

"Uh-oh. She's fading fast."

"Just keep her alive a little longer."

They were truly in the underbelly of Hyrule now. The only hints that it was still daytime up above were the slim rays of sunlight that poked their way through the network of stone above them.

The path was strewn with debris, left there in ages past. Huge stone slabs of rubble, abandoned carts and the odd rotted corpse lay there, overgrown with moss and odd, bulbous plants that glowed with an eerie blue light that illuminated the aged streets.

The trickle of water was all around them, runoff from layers upon layers above them gathering in puddles that had eroded their way into ponds, still glowing ethereally, and overflowing to fall off the abandoned roadway and even further down, into the darkest, most hidden layers far below.

Even in this dismal state, this part of the city had not yet been abandoned. Skeletal beggars lay motionless in the streets, drugged into a stupor, only lifting their heads when Ganondorf walked by. These destitute souls sat in groups around scattered fires, built out of the remains of broken furniture, rotted slabs of wood, anything that would burn. They roasted lean animals on rusty spits, and fermented whatever they could in old tin cans.

"She has no magic left- there's nothing I can do."

"Like I said. Just keep her alive."

Midna was still slumped over Ganondorf's shoulder, long red hair matted with blood and curtained over her face. She had long ago faded into unconsciousness, and despite Navi the fairy bobbing up and down and trying desperately to keep her alive, it was now only a matter of time until she died.

"So what happened to the others? Are they okay?"

"I don't know," Ganondorf said. "We split up at the Market District. I haven't seen any of them since then."

They stopped at an intersection. One of the paths was blocked by a collapsed building.

"She's through there." Navi flitted ahead towards the obstruction.

"Much farther?"

"No."

He stepped over a fallen beam, taking care not to strike Midna's head on the doorway as he did so. As soon as he entered the shattered structure, its walls shimmered and changed around him.

When the magic ceased, he was no longer in surrounded by cold stone and the smell of decay.

The trees towered high above him, the leaves forming a canopy above his head. The scent of grass and soil was sweet in the air, after so many years in the depths of the city. All around him was a forest, infinitely deep and dark. He stood in a small clearing where the trunks of the trees formed a circle.

There was a pool of water in the center of the clearing, crystal clear and infinitely deep.

He couldn't tell if it was an illusion or if he really had somehow been transported to an old-growth forest. Whatever magic it was that worked in this place was far beyond mortal ken.

Ganondorf stepped forward and lay Midna down in the water. Rather than sink, however, she floated there flawlessly on the surface, no ripples staining the glasslike surface.

If it was at all possible, the forest around them darkened. Midna lay there silently, her breathing so faint as to leave her chest perfectly still. Ganondorf stared deep into the abyss that was the pool, Navi fluttering uneasily nearby.

In the very depths of the pool, a blue light shone.

All round them, among the trees, on the ground, in the air, thousands upon thousands of points of light lit in unison.

They were fairies, too many to count. They floated all around them, a million tiny pinpricks of light blazing in the darkness which, if anything, seemed to have become thicker, even more impenetrable.

Navi settled onto the shoulder of Ganondorf's armour. "I always feel nervous coming to this place," she whispered.

"You and me both," he answered back.

The surface of the water, for the first time, moved. It coalesced and rose to form the shape of a head and face, perfectly proportioned and impossibly beautiful. From the sacred pool rose a woman, slender and naked and made of quicksilver.

Her entire body shone with a light that seared in the darkness surrounding them, and her eyes burned even brighter. She was impossibly beautiful, and terrifying at the same time.

"Why have you come here, Ganondorf of the Gerudo?"

He forced his eyes to meet the Great Fairy's blazing ones.

"Upon every man and woman I smile equally, and bless equally with my favour. Once in a lifetime may I bestow my blessing upon you, and once only. You have already sought my boon, and I may not grant you another. You are foolish to come here, and you are foolish to bring him, Navi, my child."

Navi cringed on Ganondorf's shoulder.

The Great Fairy's Fountain was one of the greatest secrets of Hyrule City, hidden so deeply that very few even knew it existed. Never in the same place twice, one required a fairy guide to find it, stolen away in the depths of Hyrule. Everybody was entitled to take advantage of the Great Fairy's hospitality- but only once.

"Great Fairy, my friend is dying. It is true that you have already granted my request, and I am grateful- but she has not yet received your blessing."

The Great Fairy's silver visage gazed down upon Midna's still form.

"She is a being of darkness, Ganondorf. Would you have me heal the darkness within, or the darkness without?"

He frowned. What did that mean? "Perhaps you misunderstand me. I simply wish for you to heal her wounds."

With a gesture, the Great Fairy floated Midna up to her eye level. Her long red hair dangled below her, the light and darkness playing off its fiery redness.

"She is possessed. Although I may heal her now, she will by no means be cured. Not as long she is twice touched by the darkness."

"Mother, what are you talking about?" Navi asked.

"My light will harm a being so dark."

"So be it," said Ganondorf. "As long as she still lives."

Wordlessly, the Great Fairy plunged her hands into Midna's sides.

The effect was immediate. The Twili plunged her head back and screamed, loud and long, a cry of purest agony ripping her throat. The scream continued, growing in intensity as the Great Fairy's magic worked its way through her, body convulsing and contorting madly.

As quickly as it had started, it was over. Midna drifted back down to rest on the cool grass, panting and still shaking. Her skin was a dull, dark grey, and had completely lost its ethereal glow. Her hair had similarly lost its vibrant color and pooled darkly around her head.

"You have received my blessing," the Great Fairy said, already sliding back into the shining water that had spawned her. "Farewell, Midna of the Twili."

They were in a ruined building deep within the underlevels of Hyrule city. The air was dank and dusty and smelled of rot.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ganondorf helped Midna to her feet.

"Wh…" She coughed hoarsely. "What was that…?"

"The Great Fairy," said Navi, leading the way out into the alleyway. "A lot of people don't even know she exists, but she's actually a lesser God. She created all of the fairies, and she'll grant anybody one request if it is within their power. But you can't get more than one, so you'd better think it through- well, we decided for you because you weren't really in much of a state to think it through for yourself."

"Stop."

Ganondorf let go of Midna, and she wobbled very unsteadily on her feet. She looked down at her hands, her arms, her legs, seeming very uneasy at suddenly being so far from the ground.

"Here's good."

'Here' was a narrow alley that ended in a dead end, almost pitch-black in the fading light.

Ganondorf helped Midna into the alley and leaned her down against the stone wall at the end of it.

"We gotta go," Navi was saying, "It gets dark fast in this part of the city."

She rested there for a while, eyes clenched tight in pain. The Great Fairy's magic had saved her life, but the power within it was burning her from the inside. When her eyes flickered open again, they met with Ganondorf's.

"Go…" she mumbled.

It took Ganondorf a moment to realize just what was going on. Midna was self-conscious.

"Go on," she said, a little more firmly this time, "Get out of here! I'll be fine."

He made an effort to conceal his amusement. Never in his life had he seen Midna so obviously flustered. Indeed, this was quite the opposite from how she usually behaved.

"Come on…" Navi said, "It'll be dark soon. She might be fine, but we won't be."

"See you later," Midna said.

"Of course," said Ganondorf, turning away and strolling down the ruined street, the bobbing light of Navi guiding his way.

Midna sat there, propped up against the roughly hewn wall, for some time after they both had gone. The sun passed its zenith in the sky, and the thin beams of sunlight that filtered down through the city disappeared. Night took hold fast in the deeper parts of Hyrule.

It was like sitting in shallow water. She sank ever so slightly into the pools of shadow, letting it soothe her after the burning light of the magic that had seared her eyes, her flesh, her soul.

The streets were deserted now, the derelicts who sat by the roadside in the sparse daytime vanishing as darkness took hold. The light still worked its magic inside her, a searing pain at the core of her being.

Midna sat, and waited.

* * *

They left the pub and parted ways, Tetra heading back to the river and her docked ship, Link making his way back to the Spirit Temple via Kakariko Street, which was a tight, winding avenue made of red brick and sandstone and lined on both sides with shops and individual businesses. It was quite a ways from the expensive stores and lavish goods of Market District, and it showed. Most of the businesses were in poor shape, operated by those who could not afford the expensive lots in the Market District.

"Magic beans?" An obese man seated on a rug was voraciously eating his wares. "They are getting to be quite popular… thirty rupees." He shoved the bag towards Link, who declined politely.

"Springwater! Fresh springwater, cures what ails you!" A manic-looking woman with bushy brown hair was flaunting bottles of Link assumed was just water from the river with fizz pumped in. "Crazy Tracy means crazy prices! I'm Tracy, by the way. Buy something."

"National bank of Hyrule!" A man had set up a flimsy wooden booth with the words 'Bank of Hyrule' hand-painted on it on messily. "Give me all your money!"

There was a boy sitting on a tree stump playing the flute, his hat at his feet devoid of any Rupees supplied by passersby. Link wondered where he could have possibly procured the stump.

"Hello, there, Hero! Would you like to buy a mask?"

Link turned, startled. The man who had spoken to him was seated behind a counter, upon which were several wooden masks, all carved and painted with uncanny accuracy. The sad wooden eyes of a Deku scrub looked up at him with what anybody would swear was real emotion.

Despite himself, he stepped up to examine the other masks. There was a Goron, a Zora… and…

"What is this?"

He held up the mask. It was his own face, perhaps a few years older, with white hair and decorated with war paint. It seemed to glare back at him fiercely.

"Ah, that is a very powerful mask, Hero, filled with a very powerful history. Nearly as powerful as the mask I gave to you earlier. However, that one there has already fulfilled its role in your story, I think."

"Earlier?" Link looked at the man, trying to place where he had met him before. Surely he wouldn't forget those calm eyes, and unsettling smile.

"Have you discovered your Quest yet?"

"You!" It came rushing back to him, and Link knew that the mask salesman had not wanted him to know until just then. "You were there, in the forest! The night I first came here!"

"Indeed." If at all possible, he smiled even wider. "Tell me, do you like this one?"

Link looked down at the mask proffered in his hands. It was, produced to perfection, the helmet that seemed to permanently grace Midna's head.

Link took it and examined it briefly. It seemed to have a weight beyond its size, although he could still lift it with ease. It was as if the bizarre mask was only allowing him to handle it. He noticed that it seemed to be a fractured piece of something much larger- a Midna-sized suit of armour, perhaps?

"Do you like it? You can have it if you like."

Link put the mask down on the wooden counter that separated them. "Sorry, I have a friend who wears the same thing. She'd be furious if I copied her style."

"Hm. Let me tell you something, Hero-"

"Please don't call me that."

"-She is dangerous."

Link stopped. Who was he talking about? "Do you mean… Midna? Or Tetra?"

The mask salesman seemed eerily happy to be taunting him so. "Does a life lived in the shadows spawn darkness within? Does a life lived in the cold create a chill in the soul? Does a life lived beneath a scalding sun ignite fires of rage in the heart?"

Link's eyes narrowed. His two meetings with the mask salesman were no coincidence. "Who are you?"

The smile remained plastered on his face. "Where did you live your life, Hero?"

Rather than answer the question, Link turned to leave.

"We will meet again, worry not, and things will become clearer."

Unnerved by the encounter, Link put the mask salesman's words out of his mind. Stopping only to buy directions back to the temple from a short, middle-aged man in a green leotard with a red balloon tied to his back, Link hurried back to the mess in which he was feeling it may have been a mistake to entangle himself.

* * *

She sat there for hours in the deepening darkness, listening to the sounds of the city above filter to her down below.

Drops of water, runoff from the many layers above, fell in musical rhythm, filtering through the stone to wend their way even deeper below.

Dogs chased each other through the deserted roads, barking and howling with a slavering ferocity that told her that they were far from domesticated.

A wayward scream harshly cut off. One of hundreds of murders that occurred in the city daily.

Then everything fell silent.

The sound of water, the wind blowing through the street, the creak of aged buildings, everything. All of it obscured by a darkness so thick that it encompassed everything.

The Great Fairy's magic was working its way through her form, magic of the light rotting away a body polluted by shadows. It hurt to lift her head, but she managed it.

Two scintillating yellow eyes glared back at Midna out of the darkness. A wicked smile of flawlessly white teeth wavered just below it. The Nameless had taken the shape of her impish form, shadows pooling and billowing around it like smoke.

"Been a while," she choked out. The exclamation was punctuated by blackish bile that flowed from her mouth with the words. The light was agonizing. How did they stand it?

The monstrous reflection bubbled and twisted grotesquely, until in its place there was a hulking formless thing with many limbs and a mouth that could swallow her whole. She could feel, through the shadows, countless souls screaming at her to join them.

"Not… today…"

Midna reached out into the darkness- her arms were so slender and long- and seized handfuls of it.

* * *

I'm taking some more significant creative liberties with the Happy Mask Salesman than with most characters, and my portrayal of him here is entirely based on my own interpretation of his character. If you've got the impression that he's pretty important, you wouldn't be _too_ far off.

Those Gerudo, they're seeming a lot more suspicious than usual now... seems like Link can't trust anybody.


	8. Chapter 8

So, it's been like three months. I got an email from one of my readers asking if I died. Thanks to everybody for putting up with my bullshit, apologies to everybody for my shenanigans. I know how much of a pain in the ass delays can be to a reader following a story.

* * *

8.

Politics. Midna Tells a Story. Law Enforcement in the Lower Quarters.

* * *

He was sitting alone in his rooms, recovering from the toll that the day's exertions had forced upon him.

Rusl reflected ruefully that he was beginning to get old. His teacher would shame him for succumbing to the years so readily- barely out of middle age and already he was thinking wistfully of retirement.

The door opened behind him and the light footsteps on the carpet that covered the tiles told him it was the Princess Zelda. He thought momentarily of covering himself- the upper half of his body, replete with numerous scars, was exposed. He had been in the process of disinfecting another, newer wound across the top of his right bicep. Link had been much faster than Rusl had anticipated.

"I believe this belongs to you?" Something thumped against the carpet.

"Thank you. I was loath to lose it."

Zelda circled around so that she was standing in front of him. "You're hurt?"

"It's nothing."

Her hands glowed with a golden light, and the wound stitched itself closed. Where it had been there was but a faint line lighter than the skin around it. "Who was fast enough to cut you?"

"The young one. Link." When he saw the small smile that graced Zelda's face at the mention of the name, he inquired further. "You met him, then?"

"I did. You did very well, Rusl, bringing him to me."

"There is a problem, your Highness."

She frowned. "Oh?"

"As you may imagine, today's events left rather a lasting impression on some of our aristocracy."

Zelda again allowed herself a smile. "I'll bet they did."

"Well… you do recall that after the murder of our dear magistrate Dotour, there was some unrest among their numbers concerning their personal safety. In light of today's events, unrest among our governors is growing still. They are losing faith in your ability to protect them, Zelda."

Her countenance darkened. "Perhaps our governors would do well to remember that certain practices ought not be paired together."

"I don't follow you."

"You don't shit where you eat," she said.

He laughed and then hastily corrected himself. "This is no laughing matter. The lower districts are becoming increasingly difficult to control, and Magistrate Ingo has informed me in no uncertain terms that he is taking law enforcement into his own hands. What's more, there are whispers that Chancellor Cole is moving to undermine your authority, looking to place it in the hands of the Council."

"Chancellor Cole is woefully ignorant of his own irrelevance, as is Ingo. No, the only thing that I am worried about is the Gerudo, and their newest recruit."

"With all due respect, I don't think that one kid is enough to turn the Gerudo from a nuisance into a threat."

Zelda bent and picked up Rusl's gilded sword from where she had dropped it upon entering the room. The blade shone lethally and Rusl was reminded once again of how his own sword had wounded him. "You fought him today. What did you think?"

He rubbed the spot high on his arm where the faint scar still shone with traces of magic. "I think that he may be the greatest natural swordsman I have ever seen. Unpracticed, but easily better than myself, or my teacher."

She twirled the sword now, artfully, her long fingers manipulating the blade in gleaming, graceful arcs through the air. "Myself and the Gerudo king, Ganondorf, are a part of a delicate balance, Rusl. Similarly, this city wavers between order and chaos, between darkness and light, on finer a point than you could know."

Zelda let go of the gilded sword and, for but a moment, it spun freely in midair as the momentum carried its golden blade- and then Zelda caught it, one-handed, by the blade.

Rusl had found the blade, long ago, sold to him on the street by a man with a comically large pack and sporting a rictus grin. He had never in his years found another of its like; a sword that never dulled, sharper than any the finest smiths in Hyrule could make.

"Your Highness!" He jumped to his feet, unable to help himself. He had never seen the gilded sword fail to do anything but slice cleanly through flesh as though it were air.

She offered him the hilt of the sword. He saw that she had managed to pluck it from the air by the flat of the blade, never touching the edge. It balanced now on her palm, perfectly.

He took the sword.

"Link, Rusl, will tip that balance, one way or the other."

* * *

Dappled as it was by the light of the early evening, filtered through the network of streets and bridges and buildings above him, the Spirit Temple almost looked serene. The sky was a brilliant red and, remembering the old rule of thumb, Link looked forward to fine weather tomorrow, and possibly further after that.

"Link?"

He looked past the Temple, up the street. Midna was floating there, arriving at the Gerudo hideout just as he was. Rather than sitting on nothing, or pirouetting and flipping in midair (as was the norm) her tiny feet barely cleared the ground, and it seemed as if her shoulders were, for once, feeling the weight of the stone on her head.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"Its- no, nothing. Don't worry about it. You want something to eat?" She held the door open for him and then followed him inside.

"I'm starving, truth be told."

"Follow me."

She led him through the maze of rooms and clutter, something that he was certain he would never be able to navigate properly. They came to a door made out of metal, which, amazingly enough, appeared to be coated in frost.

"Put your tongue on the door handle," Midna said, although her heart did not seem to be in it.

Link rolled his eyes and opened the door, only to be hit in the face with a blast of cold air and no small amount of snow.

Midna floated into the small room, made entirely of metal and frozen solid by some sort of magic. Slabs of meat hung from hooks dangling from the ceiling, and Midna sliced two steaks from these effortlessly- her hands seemed to momentarily become claws made out of shadow.

They left the cold-room and retreated to where they had eaten dinner the night before.

"Where is everybody else?" he asked.

"Dunno." She waved her hands and fire seared the steaks to perfection in an instant. "Dig in."

They ate in silence for a bit, which Link found very unnerving. Certainly he could never claim to be a great conversationalist, but since he had met Midna it seemed as though he had had to endure a constant barrage of profanity, crude jokes, dry wit, and insults. The sudden removal of what had become background noise was eerie.

"Is everybody OK?" he asked.

She stopped, her fork halfway to her mouth. Once again, it seemed as though she ate far too much food for her small body. "I was with Ganondorf. All I know is that the two of us are fine. What about your group?"

"I don't know. We got separated, but I think Viscen got out alright. I was hoping to meet up with everyone here."

"Well, you're out of luck. We're the only two here." He did not ask how she knew this.

"But it's dark out now, isn't that-"

"There are safe houses all over the city," she said. "No member of the Gerudo is stupid enough to go outside at night."

They fell silent again, and Link listened to the night outside. The flickering light of the Spirit Temple suddenly seemed inadequate, and he couldn't help but think that what was light, really, to stop such a monster as the one that lurked now in the darkness?

"Midna."

"Eh."

"What is that… thing? The Nameless?"

She looked at him oddly. "Why do you ask?"

He struggled to put it into words. Something was telling him that Midna knew more than she let on. "I… don't know. Maybe… it just seems like there's something you want to talk about."

She sneered. "What? Something I want to talk about?"

"Since we got back, you haven't once made fun of my hat."

"It's a stupid hat. There. Happy?"

"Midna?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not wearing a hat."

There was the sound of footsteps on the street outside, louder than the footsteps of any ordinary person could be. When they faded, Link exhaled a breath he did not know he had been holding.

"…Do you want to know what it is? What it really is?"

The thought of such a dark creature wandering freely about the streets at night made him shiver. He imagined its slick form sliding through alleyways and loping across the expanse of the Market District.

"Midna… are you alright?"

She was not floating at all, instead looking very small and helpless with her legs curled up in front of her and her arms wrapped tightly around them. He lay a tentative hand on her shoulder and noticed that she was shaking slightly.

"It's something awful, Link, it really really is… It's the most horrifying thing you can imagine." She turned to him, her one exposed eye meeting his stare fervently. "I can't tell you." She immediately directed her gaze back to the floor.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll hate me if I do."

He watched her stare at the floor for a few seconds, fists clenching and unclenching. He had never seen someone so obviously conflicted.

"I hate myself."

"Midna. Tell me what happened."

She shook her head. "I'll tell you a story instead. Do you know who Zant is?"

"One of Zelda's viziers, isn't he? A mage?"

"He and I are the only two surviving members of the Twili race. Soon, one of us will kill the other, and the victor will become the last of our people. I… it can't be him. For him to be the only remnant of the Twili…" The mere mention of the mage's name was enough to send Midna into a rage; she spat the word as if it tasted foul and her hands crackled with suppressed magic.

"We used to live underneath Hyrule. The city goes on forever, further down than even the Twili dared to go. Our parents told us stories of demons in the deep darkness, and of things with no name that were even worse than that. Every so often, you would get one brave warrior who would attempt to prove himself by venturing down there, but none of them ever returned. Except one."

"Zant?" Link asked.

Midna nodded. "He was a prodigy. The second-greatest Twili mage of all time."

He did not bother asking Midna who the greatest Twili mage of all time was, sensing that she was only baiting him.

"He disappeared for months. We thought he had died in the dark like all the others before him- but we were wrong. Zant returned triumphant, a hero like our culture had never seen. A celebrity not only among our kind, but in all of Hyrule. There was a time where you couldn't find a kid who didn't have a poster of Zant up in their room somewhere. The… the Princess even agreed to marry him."

Link almost fell out of his chair. "What? Princess Zelda?"

She shot him a look of utter contempt. "No, don't be stupid. I mean the Twilight Princess. She… was the ancestral ruler of the Twili people. Anyways, the point I'm making was that Zant's star just kept on rising. Up out of the darkness, up past the undercity, and eventually as high as you can get in this town."

"The castle, right?" He thought of the endlessly complex sprawl of the city, and how minute it looked from the Royal Complex. "Where he is now."

"He got a summons, from Zelda herself. So he goes on up to the castle. And that night, he and Zelda come down. That was the last safe night in the city."

He followed the jerk of her head to the darkness outside. "You mean-"

"The Nameless, whatever it is, never showed itself in the city before that night. Zant and Zelda met with the Twilight Princess herself, and the three of them all descended into the deep darkness of the city where nobody had been for centuries. That very same night, the Twili people disappeared and a monster began stalking the citizens in the night."

Midna looked up at him, and for the first time he noticed that something was different about her. Her face had a splotchy, uneven look to it, darker and scarred in some places. The same faint scars wound their way up and down both of her arms. "Do you see what I'm saying?"

"You're saying that Zant created the Nameless."

"I'm saying that Zant created the Nameless, or woke it up, or summoned it, _and _it killed every last one of the Twili people. Except for me. And you know what?" she snarled, "I'm going to make sure that leaving me alive is his greatest mistake."

Abruptly she stood- hovered- from her chair and turned away. "I'm going to bed."

"I thought that you didn't sleep at night."

"Whatever. I'm tired now."

Link stayed at the table long after she had left the room, watching the candles burn their way downwards and thinking about Midna's story, what it had meant, and most importantly, the questions she had neglected to answer.

For starters, how had she survived?

* * *

"So you think Midna's a liar?"

"No!" Link swatted at the fairy emphatically. "I'm just saying that maybe she's not telling the whole truth."

"But… that's lying."

"So maybe she is lying a bit," Link took another half-hearted swing at Navi as she fluttered through his field of vision, her hair trailing behind her in a luminescent stream, moving as if it were water in the field of magical energy that kept her afloat. "And don't tell her I said this!"

"Why?" Navi said, "I'm not a liar." Link couldn't tell if she was joking with him or if her naïveté meant she was really being honest.

It was two days after the ill-fated raid on the castle, and Link's routine had fallen into a lull of going out during the day and wandering about the city. It was something he enjoyed, and each trip he had a new companion. Ganondorf and Viscen had taken him to a makeshift coliseum made of the rubble of collapsed buildings, where a Goron-Zora team had handily beaten two off-duty guards in the marquee match of the day. He had gone fishing in the river with Colin and Ashei, frying up their catch for dinner that evening.

So when he had ventured out this morning, Navi had tagged along and said she was going to introduce him to a friend of hers.

"You'll really like her," Navi said. "She's really nice, probably the best innkeeper in the whole city."

They were walking along a main thoroughfare, the wide street made of beaten white stone. Fruit and vegetable stalls were set up intermittently along each side of Link, and people hurried by with the don't-talk-to-me air of someone who was extremely busy.

It was a beautiful day, the sun high enough in the sky that it shone straight down through the spires and bridges above them, illuminating everything in comfortable sunlight. Just as Link was thinking that it was as nice as a day in Hyrule City could get, there was a loud clatter of a cart tipping over and several shouted swearwords.

"I don't care! I don't care of you've paid already, th' Magistrate's making it clear that you've got to pay again!"

"I don't understand, why is he-"

"Because he's concerned about th' safety of his citizens, that's why! How else're we to pay for our new guards, then!"

There was a deep hissing growl, the noise of a very large predator that was very on edge. Two men laughed heartily.

The crowds parted quickly, and Link saw that a cart full of food and drink had been toppled over. Fruit and cheese lay in the middle of a spreading pool of wine from a burst cask, its bittersweet scent quickly filling the air.

Two guards were menacing a clearly terrified redheaded woman. Just what was terrifying here was immediately obvious- chained up between the guards was some kind of lizard, easily eight feet tall on its hind legs. Crude metal armor had been fastened to it, and it apparently had enough rudimentary intelligence to wield the wicked-looking sword clenched in its talons.

"Oh, no! Anju! Link, we have to do something!"

Link quickly realized that Anju, the woman being threatened, was the friend Navi had intended to introduce. He stepped calmly into the wide space that had been cleared because of the commotion, and cleared his throat loudly.

"Whats'at? Piss off." One of the guards dismissed him and turned back to Anju. "Now as you can see, we've hired some new hands as an additional security measure," he yanked on the lizard's chain, "On account of the recent spate of terrorist activity. Now, 'cause it costs money to ensure the safety of our citizens, Magistrate Ingo has enacted a tax increase, effective immediately."

"I… I've already paid," Anju stammered, unable to tear her eyes from the beast. "I don't have enough for what you're asking, I've already…"

The second guard slammed his sword into the toppled cart, eliciting a loud _thunk_ and sending chips of wood spraying everywhere. "You're trying my patience, woman! Are you going to defy the Magistrate? Are you!"

"Listen now!" Link said loudly, "I'm just as much a citizen as she is, and I don't want any of those beasts roaming the streets! And if you think I'll pay for 'em, well, think again!"

The guards turned to face Link now, as someone shouted from the assembled crowd, "Green hat guy is right!"

"We pay enough as it is, and you don't keep us safe at all!"

"I'm not paying for no monster!"

The first guard narrowed his eyes, but then smiled. "You know what? I see what the problem is here, and I unnerstand completely. What you all need is a demonstration of the effectiveness of our new security."

The second guard laughed and unchained the beast. Link reached for his sword.

"Watch out!" Navi said in his ear, "That's a Lizalfos!"

Link tuned her out and waited for the beast to spring. However, it never came, as the guard pointed at Anju and yelled, "Go get her!"

The Lizalfos turned and loped towards Anju in two easy strides. It raised its sword and swung, an untrained blow with more than enough brute force to kill the woman instantly.

Link stopped the monster's blade with his own. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both guards gape mutely, amazed that he had moved that fast.

The Lizalfos' blade was crude, made of shoddy metal. When it raised the weapon and swung again, this time targeting Link, he swung his own sword and met it at just the right angle.

The poorly crafted weapon was ineptly wielded, and met perhaps the finest sword ever made used with the deadly precision of Link's pure instinct. The lizard's sword shattered with one deep, ringing note, which rose into a cacophony as the pieces scattered on the stone.

"Call it off!" Link shouted.

The Lizalfos backed off and dropped the useless hilt, then cocked its head, waiting for instructions.

"Call it off!" Link repeated.

"Use your claws!" the guard bellowed, his face red, "Tear 'is guts out!"

The beast lunged forward, swinging a clawed arm far more adroitly than it had ever used the sword. Link sidestepped neatly, raising his blade and swinging it down in one smooth motion.

The Lizalfos' head thumped wetly to the street, followed seconds after by its body, spewing the monster's dark and foul-smelling blood.

Link sheathed his sword with a fanciful twirl, the shimmering blade untainted by the thing's blood. The guards stared blankly at their decapitated beast, which lay motionless in the street in a growing pool.

"I'm not paying for that!" someone yelled, "It's broke!"

The crowd erupted into sheers and laughter, several hands clapping Link on the back solidly. The two guards beat a hasty retreat, and Link found himself face two face with a stammering Anju, who could neither thank him enough nor apologize enough for causing him trouble.

"Link!" Navi said happily, her high pitched voice still somehow perfectly audible above the noise, "This is my friend Anju!"

Presently, the streets cleared, the citizens returning to their daily toil, after several more congratulations and knowing winks accompanying mentions of the Gerudo. Anju was left alone with Link and Navi, sitting on the steps of her humble inn.

"My whole shipment… ruined," she said, gesturing at the food and drink that had been in the cart, now trampled underfoot and stamped into the soggy mess on the ground. The dead beast had been dragged away- undoubtedly somebody was going to try and eat it. "Not that I blame you for it!" she apologized hastily.

"Don't worry," Link waved away her stammering, "Maybe I should be apologizing to you. I'd feel terrible if you got into more trouble because of me."

"There's not much more trouble that I can get in," she sighed. "I inherited this inn from my mother- we've run it for generations. It's on one of the busiest streets in the entire city, which is great for business, but it also makes my inn an extremely valuable piece of real estate. The Magistrate keeps raising taxes in this district, looking to seize properties and sell them at a much higher cost."

"Why don't you just sell it yourself?" Link asked.

Anju gave a weary smile, "Because the magistrate enacts a commission on all property transactions in his District, not to mention the taxes on the sale. At the end of the day-"

"-He still ends up with the money," Link finished. He was beginning to see how the system infuriated Ganondorf, as well as the truth to Tetra's statement that everybody was trying to con somebody.

"But thank you," Anju said, "It doesn't matter if he takes my inn now- he would have done it anyways. But you showed them that they can't just do whatever they want. Somebody has to stand up to them. And it means the world to us."

"I can't believe that Magistrate Ingo!" Navi fumed. "How can they let him _do_ that? Doesn't anybody care?"

"Yes," said Anju. "You do."

Eventually, they said their goodbyes and began the walk back to the Spirit Temple. Although he was still somewhat wary of Ganondorf, Viscen, and Midna, and their mysterious motives, he felt that they were right in one respect- something had to change.

And with things as terrible as they were now, he had no qualms in giving them the benefit of the doubt. At least Link knew that he was honest, and that he was acting for the people. If he could trust nobody else, he could at least trust himself.

Link reflected that tomorrow was the third day since the raid, the day that Tetra had promised to return to him and get him back into the castle, and into the library.

He liked Tetra. She seemed refreshingly honest, and honesty was a trait that Link was beginning to recognize as being more and more valuable.

* * *

Reading this chapter makes me feel sad for Midna and Link. Why? Well, I know what's going to happen.

Anyways, thanks to strangebloke for being the catalyst behind this particular update.


	9. Chapter 9

The majority of this chapter was written during the Canadiens-Capitals and Vancouver-Los Angeles games. I resolved to post it tonight, so I stayed up to finish it.

* * *

9.

Tatl the Con Fairy. Link goes on a Date. Inside the Royal Library.

* * *

In what was no doubt a sure sign that she was up to no good, Tatl's brother Tael was nowhere to be seen.

Replacing him at their customary spot in the Market district was a tired-looking man in a blue coat and sporting a scraggly mustache and beard. Replacing their earlier wares of stolen clothing were several cages filled with irate-looking, tiny blue birds.

"Man, you guys are awesome!" Tatl said excitedly, grabbing at Link's collar and shaking it for emphasis. "First you scrap with the Nameless, then you go and blow up half the High Street!"

"I had nothing to do with that," Link said, "That was all Midna and Ganondorf. It was a distraction while we broke into the castle."

If anything, Tatl was even more amazed. "Take out that sword and stab yourself right now. You are lying!"

"What did you steal?" The man in the blue coat asked, suddenly interested. "They got some good treasure hidden away in there?"

"We didn't find what we were looking for," Link explained. "Rusl caught us."

This was met with silence.

"What?"

Tatl looked over at her business partner. The two shared a look and then shook their heads, a gesture that clearly said 'he's crazy.'

"You think I'm lying. I'm not, I had to fight him to escape."

"I'm all for tall tales," the man said, "Even told a few myself, in my day. Here's a tip, kid- pick something that people are going to believe."

"Yeah," Tatl snorted. "You had me going for a while there. Man, I even believed you got into the castle…"

"I did," Link said indignantly.

"No, you didn't" the man said. "And you didn't fight Rusl."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Well, for starters…" Tatl's tiny hands prodded at his face. He swatted at her. "You're still alive. Linebeck, you wanna tell the story, or should I?"

"I ran into him once," the man, who Link supposed was Linebeck, said. "Just once. I was running with a crew of maybe seven, eight pirates, liberating some hardware from nobles' homes. Well, we were too slow, and the guard showed up. This was a while ago, mind you, Rusl still wasn't the Commandant, he was just a captain. The Commandant back then was… ah, what's-his-face…?"

"Get on with it," Tatl scolded him.

"Hey, hey, this is a very traumatic experience for me to be recalling, here," Linebeck lazily tried to hit the fairy with the back of his hand. "Anyways… yeah. They all died. I was the only one to get out alive."

"What, that's it?" Link asked. "If anything, that's a lie."

"Yeah," Tatl switched sides expertly, "Why don't you tell us how you heroically jumped out the second-story window, leaving your comrades to their certain death."

"Shut up," Linebeck growled. "It was them that tried to fight. I'm just looking out for myself, is all."

"Yeah, whatever." The fairy turned to Link. "So what're you doing around here, then?"

"Waiting for someone."

"Ooh, a date?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

Tatl took a deep breath. Link knew before she even began speaking that she was going to attempt to talk him into giving her money for some reason. "Well, now, you there is no better way to impress girls that with a home-cooked meal! And these here are nothing less that the most delicious animal in the world. Not blue Cuccos. Not pocket Cuccos. Blue pocket Cuccos. So delicious, so rare, and so unbelieveably melt-in-your-mouth _tender_…" Tatl had begun crying, "so _delicious_… It is a _sin_…"

"Can you cut to the point?" Link asked, unfazed.

"Sixty rupees each," she said immediately.

Link said nothing.

"Come on! Didn't you hear about the deliciousness?"

"Oh, I heard. And I might pay sixty rupees, if you were selling them ready-to-eat. But come on, look, they're still alive!"

Linebeck rapped his fist on the top of the cage. "Fifty each, but I'll kill 'em for you."

"What's going on here?"

"Who are you then?" Tatl asked.

"Oh, you've gotten infant Cuccos and colored them blue. No doubt trying to pawn them off as a rarity."

"Wha- who- no!" Tatl insisted.

Tetra prodded at the birds through the bars. "You can tell they're too young to eat because the crest on top of their heads isn't fully formed yet. Also, they're the wrong shade of blue."

"Sharp eyes," Linebeck said, ogling her backside.

"Hello, Tetra," said Link.

"Here you go," she said, tossing him a small brown bag. Catching it, he could tell that it contained the five hundred rupees she owed him.

"I'm surprised you didn't just run off," he admitted. "You know that I would have had no idea how to find you."

Tetra waved a dismissive hand. "I told you that I wasn't like that. Besides, it's bad for business to cheat a client out of his money."

"So this is your date then, Link?" Tatl flitted around the tanned girl's head, but Tetra did not bother trying to swat her away. "Very nice. I approve. And what was this about money?"

"It's none of your concern," Link said. He turned to Tetra. "And what about the other thing you promised me?"

Tetra glanced at the fairy, who was now listening very intently, and at the shabby-looking Linebeck, who was still appreciating her athletic build. "Not here," she said.

"Ooh, what's this?" Tatl taunted. Linebeck whistled.

"Like he said," Tetra winked, "None of your concern." And with that, she grabbed Link's hand and led him into the crowds of the Market District, leaving Tatl and Linebeck to peddle their fraudulent Cuccos.

"You seemed awfully confident when you told me you could get me back into the Royal Library," Link said dryly, although he refrained from yanking his hand from her grip.

"Please. I know I told you that you can't trust anybody, but that doesn't mean nobody is trustworthy."

"Wait, what?"

"Come on!" She yanked him through the throng until they came to an alleyway between a clothing shop and a gardening supply store. He followed her into the gap between buildings, and the hubbub of the crowd died almost immediately.

Tetra let go of his hand and reached down the front of her shirt. She withdrew what Link now recognized as a Gossip Stone, hanging around her neck on a piece of rawhide.

"There. That will open any door in the city for you."

"Do I want to know how you got it?"

"Definitely not." She handed him the stone. "That there is absolutely unique in this city. Anywhere you need to go- that's your skeleton key."

He put it around his own neck and tucked it inside his collar. "And you're just going to give this to me?"

"Of course not," she said. "Three days. Then I want my Gossip Stone back."

"If you ask me," Link commented, "The use of this stone is worth a lot more than the one thousand rupees I paid you for it."

"Then give me that five hundred back."

"Tetra," he said, "You said so yourself. Everybody's trying to con something out of somebody. So what do you want?"

She moved with surprising quickness- surprising, but not astonishing. Link saw her knees bend slightly, saw her shift her center of gravity, saw her take those first two steps to gather the speed and throw herself into the wall of the alley, leap off it, and lift herself onto the roof. He was confident that he could have stopped her, if he wanted to.

Looking down at him, she smiled and winked. "I want you to realize who you can really trust."

And then she was gone.

* * *

Tetra was true to her word. The Gossip Stone saw Link quickly waved on through the guard posts along the High Street, which was hastily being reconstructed. At the gates to the Royal Complex, the guards on duty provided him with helpful instructions on how to get to the Royal Library. Even though Link had been there himself days ago, the castle grounds themselves were so vast that he could easily lose his way.

Ganondorf and Viscen had seemed almost reverent in holding the Gossip Stone that they had used to break into the Vault. 'Less than a hundred in all of Hyrule,' they had agreed. So naturally Link was suspicious as to where Tetra had acquired this one.

Still, everybody had their secrets. He resigned himself to the fact that there were some he would likely never know.

The five hundred rupees more than covered the fine silk shirt, polished boots, and bright red overcoat he had bought at one of the boutiques lining the Market District and was now wearing in an attempt to fit in. Link had decided the trick to camouflaging yourself in the upper reaches of the city was to walk as if you were more important than everybody else.

As for what he would look up when he was in the Library? Ther was a plethora of information that he wanted to know. However, he had an idea.

Occupying the large desk just inside the Library was a young man wearing spectacles. He was clearly a lower-ranking scholar, with a glum expression on his face and a nametag reading 'Shad.'

"Hello… Shad," Link said, putting just the right amount of disdain in his voice.

"Yes sir, can I help you?"

"I'm here to conduct some research on the fourth floor of the Royal Library."

"I'm sorry, sir, that level is restricted to-"

Link tossed the Gossip Stone onto the desk. Shad took one look at it, his eyes widened hugely, and he quickly vanished into the bookshelves, only to reappear moments later followed by a soldier, an exotic-looking woman with her hair tied in a long black ponytail.

"Nobody is allowed inside the library today," she said icily. "Nobody."

Link gestured towards the Gossip Stone.

"Nobody."

Link gestured towards the Gossip Stone again.

Her scornful glare was interrupted when Shad tapped her on her shoulder. "Ah… Captian Jolene…"

She sighed and turned to him. "Listen. You're just a librarian, so perhaps you don't understand, but my orders are that _absolutely_ nobody is permitted to-"

Shad poked at the Gossip Stone, and it immediately levitated itself off the table and glowed a scintillating gold that almost hurt to look at.

"Ah," said Jolene. "That is odd." Suddenly she smiled and, to Link's surprise, bowed. "Very well, then. It seems you have been summoned. My mistake."

His suspicions were again piqued. Where had Tetra gotten the stone?

Link left the strange pair behind and, as haughtily as he could, stepped inside the Library. Immediately, he climbed the stairs leading up to the fourth floor, where no civilians were allowed. The building was eerily silent, lacking even the hushed whispers of other patrons or the rustle of pages being turned.

The library was vast, the shelves lined with countless tomes of varying age, from the newly bound to the ancient. He had no doubt that there were books here containing powerful magic, or dangerous secrets.

Link pulled a book off the shelf and opened it. Inside was a detailed biography of a famous painter named Salvatore. It was only after doing this that Link realized he had no clue how to find anything in the library.

"Are you looking for something?" said a delicate voice. He turned.

The voice belonged to the most beautiful woman Link had ever seen. She had hair that shimmered a gorgeous golden-brown, and crystalline eyes that seemed to be looking right through him. There was a bemused smile on her face.

"Ah… yes," he remembered himself just in time to continue with his dignified noble impersonation. "Do you work here?"

She seemed to find this very funny. "You might say that."

"I'm trying to find the origins of the symbol in the Royal Crest. You know, the three-triangles one?"

"And why do you want to know about that?" The mystery girl turned and glided off into the maze of shelves, and Link followed her.

"I, uh… like history?"

"No," she said, "This floor of the royal library contains information that is secret and often dangerous. You want to know about the Triforce because you think it's something that's important to know."

"Well, I- wait, the Triforce? Is that the name of the symbol?"

She pulled a thick book of the shelves and handed it to him. He opened it and saw that it was filled with lushly detailed drawings depicting and ancient history, with words in a language he did not understand. One page showed a war being fought beneath the golden emblem that the girl had called the Triforce. "Although it is the sacred emblem of Hyrule, the origins of the symbol are a closely guarded secret. Because it is much more than just a symbol, or a legend. It is a terrible power that can be catastrophic in the wrong hands."

Link flipped delicately through more pages of the ancient book. One illustration depicted three beautiful goddesses creating the world in a spectacle of light. The next showed the three goddesses departing for the heavens, leaving three golden triangles behind. Another picture showed an entire pantheon of gods, and a trickster deity preying on mortals with a wicked grin. And yet another was-

"Did you find something?" she said sweetly.

The picture, coated in a layer of dust, depicted two warring armies. A race of dark-skinned, red-haired women fought a bloody battle against tall warriors with pointed ears. What caught Link's eye, however, was the leader of the dark-skinned army. Ganondorf led their painted charge into battle, clad in black-and-gold armor and wielding a sword made of pure light. Above his head was a golden triangle, one-third of the Triforce.

"This is-!"

The girl smiled.

It was then that Link saw the resemblance. At the head of the second army was an angelic woman in an ornate gown, wielding a silver rapier. A second piece of the Triforce was over her head as well.

Link looked up from the book, at the same face depicted on the page in front of him. She was still smiling, although Link was sure he saw a sort of danger present in that smile, quite different from Midna's murderous delight or Ganondorf's simmering stoicism.

"You're-"

"Have a seat, Link," Zelda said with false warmth. She gestured through the shelves towards a long table piled with books. Slowly, Link and Zelda sat down, across from each other.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"Despite what Ganondorf may claim, this is my city. Nothing escapes me here." She regarded him over the stacks of dusty literature. "Certainly not something I've been looking for."

Link mentally calculated his odds of repeating his rooftop escape from the castle. He resolved to keep Zelda talking until a better option presented itself. "You've been looking for me?"

"Ganondorf and I have been waiting for you, Link. For centuries- longer- we have fought and waited, locked in stalemate. But now that you've shown up, things will progress very quickly indeed."

"Centuries? How old are the two of you, exactly?"

She shrugged daintily. "To tell you the truth, I forget. At least as old as Hyrule, but perhaps even as old as the world itself."

A chill ran down Link's spine. "And… what do you want with me? Why am I so special?"

"The Triforce is divided into three portions, wielded by three people. I am one. Ganondorf is the second. And the third, the one we have been waiting for, is you. Why do you think you were able to open my Vault three days ago? And how were you able to gain access to my library, when I had expressly forbidden anyone to enter without my permission?"

Wordlessly answering, Link placed Tetra's Gossip Stone on the table. Zelda touched it once, and it immediately shone with a familiar golden light. "The Gossip Stones were created to serve the wielders of the Triforce. When the guards saw the influence you held over the Stone, they naturally assumed that it was my doing, and that I had summoned you."

A searing heat against the back of his hand startled him. There, just like when he had stood in front of Zelda's vault, shone the symbol of the Triforce. Another light caught his eye, and he saw the same shape glowed on Zelda's hand as well.

"So now what?" he asked. "Are you going to steal my power from me and use it to crush Ganondorf and the Gerudo forever?"

"So far as I know, there is no way for me to take the Triforce from you," Zelda said bluntly, "So no. Instead I must convince you that I am the preferable option to that bloodthirsty coward Ganondorf."

Link frowned. "Ganondorf is at least working for change, something that needs to happen. You say you see everything in this city, so how do you not see the state your people are forced to live in?"

"They are irrelevant," Zelda said flatly, without a hint of remorse or emotion. "They do not matter, Link. They are not important. You, and I, we are important."

"If you're trying to convince me that you're doing a good job up here, you might want to try a different tack." Link could barely keep the anger out of his voice.

She seemed honestly confused. "Isn't indifference a better option to outright murder? Ganondorf led a band of murderers and thieves to my city gates and claimed I was wrong for wiping them out. Now, all he does is kill and kill in an attempt to enact vengeance for something that happened centuries ago."

"With the system as broken as it is," Link said, "I can hardly blame him."

"If his intention were really noble, would he have lied to you?"

He stopped at this. It was true that Ganondorf had neglected to tell him about the Triforce, his relationship with Zelda, or the fact that he was as old as she was. "I can't trust him," Link admitted, "But I can't trust you either."

"I will tell you anything you want to know, Link. What do you know about your little friend Midna? Or Viscen?"

"I'll make those judgments myself," Link stood abruptly. Zelda remained seated, regarding him coolly. "Not going to stop me?"

Zelda waved her hand and Link sat down once more, against his will. For a brief few moments, he felt as if he was deep under water; some kind of enormous pressure prevented him from standing. Just as quickly, the pressure was gone, and he could move again.

"You're really helping your case along, aren't you?" Link hid his alarm.

Zelda spoke again in the same even voice she had used the entire conversation. "This is my city. Everybody works for me, whether they know it or not. Do you think you and I met today by chance?"

Link stood again without speaking and walked towards the door, not even acknowledging Zelda as she spoke again behind him.

"I can find you, anywhere, day or night, as long as you are in my city. Remember that."

* * *

Linebeck attacked his Cucco sandwich with great aplomb.

"Well, that was a bust," Tatl said, gnawing dejectedly on a stray piece of meat. "Man, what the hell was I thinking? Miniature blue Cuccos? Who would want one of those?"

"Cucco good," Linebeck said between bites. "Wher'sh yer brother?"

"Tael? He's outta the city. Visitin' the forest outside, you know, those forest kids."

The Stock Pot Inn was gradually filling up as the sun completed its arc across the sky outside, and the shadows between buildings lengthened. It was still a few hours away from sunset, and all the customers were trying to grab a quick meal or a round of drinks before it was time to retire for the night.

"Ok, Ok… what next… How about we lace some spring water with magic, and call it fairy tears? I'm a fairy, it'll seem legit."

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Hey, who was that guy you met earlier? The one who met up with the girl."

"Oh, uh… Link, I think his name was. He's with the Gerudo, I learned the hard way not to mess with him."

His mouth full, Linebeck wordlessly gestured for her to elaborate.

Tatl shuddered at the recollection. "Midna gave me a helluva shakedown. Man, that girl _scares_ me."

"She hangs out with this Link?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"She know he's seein' other girls behind her back?" He stroked his sparse beard thoughtfully. "Would she pay for the information."

"Nah," Tatl fluttered her wings in a fairy gesture that meant _no dice_. "I don't think that she's… oh, _hello_!"

Linebeck turned to se what had caught her attention.

Five armed and armoured soldiers had just walked imperiously into the establishment. The innkeeper, Anju, blanched at the sight of them.

The first soldier swept all the glasses on the bar aside with one metal-clad arm, resulting in a shattering crescendo as the glass broke against the floor. He slammed a single piece of paper down onto the now-clear wooden surface.

Anju picked up the paper with shaking hands, reading it quietly. Finally, she stammered, "I… I'm sorry…"

"What's that?" The guard demanded.

"I… I can't pay this…"

One of the men looked about for something else to break and, finding nothing within arm's reach, stepped forward and clouted and unfortunate regular in the side of the head. "Magistrate Ingo demands reimbursement!"

"Reimbursement!" The first man repeated. "For the death of a very valuable Lizalfos, which he had personally purchased with his very own money for the protection of his citizens!"

"That… wasn't me," the terrified Anju could barely speak. The inn itself watched in sickened silence.

"Pay up." The soldier said quietly. She began stammering another apology, and he bellowed, "PAY UP!"

"I… I can't…"

The man grinned, an expression mirrored on the faces of his comrades. "In that case, the Magistrate Ingo regretfully informs you that he will be appropriating ownership of this very property, effective tomorrow."

"Oh… no… please…"

"He will arrive tomorrow to inspect his new establishment, at what time you will be required to vacate the premises."

Tatl and Linebeck never saw how the rest of the confrontation played out, because they had left as quietly as they could, without paying, of course. As soon as they were safely outside, Linebeck broke into a wheezy jog, the fairy zipping along beside him, in an attempt to make it to the Spirit Temple before night fell.

"The Gerudo might not pay us for gossip," Tatl said greedily, "But I think we can negotiate ourselves a price for this bit of information."

* * *

I actually rewrote this chapter three times before settling on this version. As an exposition chapter, it was an issue for me to decide what information needed to be put in here, as well as writing a meeting between Link and Zelda that felt like it fit with the story. I hope this gives you a bit more of a look into Zelda's character, as well as illustrate the conflict between her and Ganondorf a bit more.

Speaking of Ganondorf, we haven't seen him in a bit. He should be up to something...


	10. Chapter 10

This is a pretty important chapter. More on that after you've read it.

* * *

10.

A Stakeout. The Magistrate Pays a Visit. Justice is Served.

* * *

Link once again only arrived at the Spirit Temple just as darkness was falling, the lengthening shadows of countless buildings and bridges growing from a latticework into a blanket of gathering darkness.

His confrontation with Zelda earlier in the day had given him a lot to think about, and as he stepped through the door to what had become his new home, his only thought was to retire early and spend the night thinking over everything that had happened to him.

It seemed that nothing was going his way.

"Oh damn, it's green-hat guy." Linebeck, the seedy-looking fellow who had been selling fraudulent poultry with Tatl the fairy, was reclining over three different chairs, blocking Link's way.

"…Hi," Link said confusedly. "You're… Linebeck, right?"

"You got it, kiddo," Linebeck made some kind of odd shooting gesture with his hands that Link was certain he had just made up. "How'd you're little date go? With that hot chick?"

"Oh… it wasn't…" Link gave up trying to explain midsentence, "… Fine. It went just fine, thanks."

Linebeck nodded. "Man, you're just a young kid. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Yeah." Link felt anything but young.

The uncomfortable conversation was interrupted by the sounds of an argument. Tatl's knowing salesfairy banter seemed to be frustrating Ganondorf, who was sounding more and more irate.

"… You seem to forget, little sprite, that your livelihood is not the only one at stake here."

"And you seem to forget, big scary black person, that my livelihood is the only one that I care about. You get nothing until you pay."

Ganondorf strode imperiously into view, Tatl flying backwards so as to speak with him face-to-face. Behind the two of them followed Colin and Viscen, both of whom looked tiredly amused to be watching the dispute.

"What is going on?" Link asked.

"We've just come to offer you guys an anonymous tipoff, of you catch my drift," Linebeck said, elbowing him in the ribs. "Our little lady friend is just feeling that we should be rewarded for being such kind and caring citizens of this fair city."

Ganondorf heard him and turned. "I'm willing to pay you," he said, "But you must remember that we are not a business. We can't afford to be paying you what you're demanding from us."

"You're lying," Tatl said insistently. "Look at all this junk you got lying around. What's going on is you're just _prejudiced_."

Viscen winced noticeably.

Ganondorf's face betrayed no emotion. "Prejudiced?"

Tatl bobbed up and down in lieu of nodding. "You don't agree with our career choice."

"If by 'career,' you are referring to your status as a petty criminal, then no, I do not approve."

"I do what I have to!" Tatl was perhaps a little too indignant, Link felt, although he was still very much impressed by how quickly the fairy was able to switch gears. "Who do you think you are to talk to us like that, when you're the most wanted criminal in Hyrule?"

"My friends and I are working for a noble cause," he explained with unflappable calm, "Whereas you are only preying on others just as hard-pressed as you are."

Tatl smiled. "Well, I'm giving you the option to continue working for your noble cause."

Ganondorf scowled.

It was then that she delivered what Link knew was the final blow. "I am perfectly willing to let innocent people suffer because of my pride," she said, "but are you?"

He seemed to think it over for a few moments, although everybody in the room knew what his answer would be. "Very well," Ganondorf said.

Linebeck grinned and shared a look with Tatl before naming his price. "One thousand rupees."

It was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Finally, Ganondorf spoke. "You are being ridiculous. I will pay you five hundred, nothing more."

Tatl smirked and shook her head. Although everybody else in the room seemed to sense that this was not the best idea, she stared him resolutely in the face.

"Six hundred," he conceded.

"Nine."

"Seven."

"Seven-fifty."

"Deal," Ganondorf said reluctantly. "Viscen, go and fetch the fairy her money." He nodded and quickly left, evidently glad to be gone. Ganondorf returned his attention to the two troublemakers. "So? Talk."

"The Stock Pot Inn off of Holodrum Street. The owner, Anju, is being forcibly evicted some time tomorrow. Magistrate Ingo himself is going to be there."

A rare smile graced Ganondorf's face. "Perhaps I haven't wasted our Rupees after all."

Viscen returned and threw a bag of money at Linebeck's feet. "Here," he said flatly, immediately turning to leave once more.

"You'll want to leave soon," Ganondorf said, "It'll be very dark soon."

"It's dark already!" she protested. "What happened to the doors of the Spirit Temple being open to all?"

He sighed disdainfully. "Fine. If I find that you have stolen anything, I'll tell Midna and let her deal with you."

The fairy shuddered. "No problems here."

"What's that look for?" Tatl asked Link later, as she followed him through the Temple.

"You know full well."

She snickered. "You think I'm a bad person?"

"I don't think anybody's a bad person. I just don't think that it's right to be making a profit while somebody's life is at stake."

"What? You're all going to go and save the day tomorrow anyways, so what's wrong with that?"

Link shook his head and kept walking. All he wanted to do was rest, and it was apparent he would never get through to her.

"Listen," said Tatl, and she seemed sincere, at least. "I do what I have to. In this city, you can't afford to put other people's lives ahead of your own. So don't you get all high-and-mighty with me."

"Hello Midna," Link said.

Tatl scarpered.

"What's going on?" the imp asked. She was yawning and moving sluggishly, telling Link that she had in fact been asleep all afternoon. "What's Tatl doing here?"

"Her and that Linebeck guy showed up and sold Ganondorf some information. Magistrate Ingo is going to be at the Stock Pot Inn tomorrow."

"Ugh, Linebeck." Midna made a theatrically disgusted face. "He's the sketchiest guy I've ever met, but he gets the job done. We've been waiting for a shot at the Magistrate for a very long time."

"Are you going to kill him?" Link asked.

She hesitated a moment before answering, as if she was afraid of upsetting him. "Ingo is… he's been a thorn in our side for a long time, and some of the things he's done to the people of this city are beyond forgiveness. But is he going to die? That… that is up to Ganondorf."

They both knew the truth, though.

* * *

Colin and Link sat across from each other at the small wooden table set in the low-ceilinged dining area of the Stock Pot Inn. Although he could not see them, Link knew that Viscen and Ashei were similarly stationed a few tables behind them.

The very distinctive figures of Ganondorf and Midna were absent from the inn, at least at first inspection. Link knew that the two of them had much more effective means of concealing themselves.

They had been there all day. Tatl's knowledge did not encompass the particular time of the magistrate's visit, so a stakeout had been necessary. The other patrons conversed in hushed tones, almost as if they knew what was going to happen.

"He'd kill me if he knew, I'm sure he would," Colin was saying mournfully. "Sometimes I think that he does know, and he just can't prove it. Can you believe it? I'm terrified of my own father."

"That doesn't sound like the man I met." Admittedly, Link's acquaintance with Rusl involved the two of them attempting to kill each other, so perhaps he was not in the best position to act as a judge of character. "He seemed like an honourable man. Polite, at least."

Colin looked up towards the door suddenly and Link turned to follow his gaze, but both returned their attention to the conversation as a pair of burly-looking men entered the inn and sat down. Anju, even more nervous than usual, hurried to serve them, Navi resting on her shoulder.

"My dad _is_ honourable, I admire him, I look up to him, but… I can't agree with what he stands for."

"But he's your father," Link reasoned, "if anybody can talk some sense into him, surely his son can."

Colin shook his head. "He's an old dog, Link, loyal to his master and willing to defend her to the death. If he thought that I was a threat to Princess Zelda, I know that he would not hesitate to cut me down in an instant."

Privately, Link agreed with him. That old-soldier mentality was something that could readily identify with more than most- he saw traces of it not only in himself, but in Ganondorf and Viscen as well.

The dull hum of conversation suddenly ceased, and without turning around, Link knew that the time had come.

"Can… can I help you, gentlemen?"

Instead of the simple grunts who had delivered the eviction notice, the man standing in the doorway had captain's epaulettes decorating his armour. The light that shone through the open doorway was the burnished bronze of twilight. Link suddenly realized with a chill that it was very, very late in the day. Too late.

The officer said nothing, but cast a cursory glance around the room. Link quickly stared down at the wooden table in front of him, and every other customer did the same.

When he was satisfied that no immediate danger presented itself, the man stepped aside and allowed a dozen soldiers to march briskly into the Stock Pot Inn. They quickly took up strategic positions around the room, blocking off all the gaps between the tables through which one of the customers might make a run at the door.

One of the men stood close enough to them that Link could see his own distorted reflection in the man's polished armour. He slowly reached under the table and closed his hand around the worn grip of his sword, strapped to the underside of the wood.

Magistrate Ingo was a surprisingly tall man, with a self-indulgent stride and a magnificent mustache. His thick eyebrows raised themselves in obvious disdain for the Stock Pot Inn and its current inhabitants.

"M-Magistrate!" Anju gasped, bowing low. "I am honored!"

"Spare me your affectations, woman," he drawled. "Please present her with the appropriate documentation."

One of the soldiers slapped a sheaf of papers down onto the bar.

"I'm sorry, magistrate, but, what is this?"

"Transferral of ownership agreement, back tax forms, nullification of debt, seizure of property, official apology, official waiver of apology, and a short survey on government satisfaction," the magistrate yawned. "Please read and sign all documents carefully."

Link looked across the table at Colin, who mouthed 'what?'

Anju bumbled her way through the paperwork, while Ingo and his soldiers stood around looking bored. The light outside continued to fade from yellow to orange- Link did not like how long this was taking.

Struggling, she pleaded in vain "Magistrate, please- if you could just let me-"

"Sign the documents," he said.

"But- this says-"

"This ramshackle inn is hardly enough to cover your rather considerable debt," he brushed some invisible dust off of his brightly colored clothing. "Quite frankly, I doubt that everything you own is barely enough to cover half of it. Nevertheless, it'll have to do."

The innkeeper was in tears. "You can't- I won't be able to-"

"Don't worry about the other half," he smiled falsely, "Consider it forgiven. A gift from your kind and generous magistrate."

Unable to marshal her words or halt the tears staining her cheeks, Anju nodded fearfully.

Link breathed deeply and calmed himself. His focus balanced on a razor's edge.

"Good," said Ingo.

The two soldiers flanking Ingo suddenly stepped forward and around the bar. Anju shrank back as the approached her.

"Now," Ingo said with barely contained amusement, "get out of my inn."

As one, the entire population of the Stock Pot Inn looked towards the open door, and the street beyond.

Night had fallen outside.

The two men seized the innkeeper. Anju screamed.

One of the two soldiers suddenly made a strangled choking noise, and something moved oddly. Sudden swathes of darkness roiled up his legs, his torso, his neck, and poured into his mouth, his eyes, his ears.

The man died screaming in agony, his own shadow consuming him.

As one, Link, Colin, Viscen, and Ashei leapt to their feet brandishing their no-longer-concealed weapons. The soldier standing right in front of him reached for his sword, but he was no match for Link's practiced speed. Link hooked his boot around the back of the man's calf and flipped him easily. The soldier hit his head on the edge of one of the tables going down and did not move.

Another man charged Link from behind, blade held high, and Link turned to meet him. Colin was there first, deflecting the first blow and then easily disarming the man- he'd clearly been taking lessons from his father.

The fight was over almost as soon as it started. Out of the fourteen men that had entered the inn, within moments there were only three still standing. Ingo cowered behind one soldier and his officer, standing with their backs to the wall and swords drawn.

"None of you move!" the captain shouted. "None of you!"

Looking around the bar, Link saw that several of the other customers had jumped to their feet as well, including the two large men that he and Colin had watched enter the bar earlier.

There was another unpleasantly wet slicing sound, and then the pool of shadows rose up, contorted wildly, and eventually congealed into Midna's distinctive stone headgear and laughing yellow eye.

"Who the hell are these guys?" she asked, gesturing towards the two men.

"Gonzo," said one.

"Senza," the other nodded.

Midna made a dismissive _tch_ sound.

"Those guys are from Veran's crew," Colin whispered to Link as a way of explanation.

"Veran's crew?" Link whispered back.

"Criminal gang. I bet those two sneaks Tatl and Linebeck turned right around and sold the same information to them.

"You vermin! Mongrels!" Ingo spat at them. "You dare to attack _me_? I'll see every last one of you hanging in the Market district before sunset tomorrow! I'll have your guts torn out and fed to the birds! I'll-"

"What are we waiting for?" Senza yelled. "Kill him already!"

"Back off," Ashei said. "This has nothing to do with you."

Gonzo cracked his knuckles. "If it involves our friend the magistrate here, I think it does. Nudge?"

Another man stood up. Link turned and steeled himself for another fight.

"Calm down," Viscen's commanding tone rang out through the bar. "It would seem that for once, our interests are mutual. There is no need for us to fight."

Gonzo stepped forward, as did the other two. "If you Gerudo going to let that rat walk right out of here, then you bet there's a need."

"All of you back off!" The captain standing over the magistrate shouted, feeling the need to reassert himself. The one remaining soldier waved his sword threateningly. "Nobody moves, or I'll-"

"Give it up," Viscen interrupted him, stepping forward slowly. Link saw that he was not wielding his signature spear; in its place was a gladius that had already drawn blood, it was stained and dripping. Viscen set the weapon down, and took another step forward. "We just want the magistrate, soldiers. Give him to us, and you can still go home tonight."

"Cowards," the captain snapped, gesturing quickly. There was a sudden crackle of energy and the scent of electrical discharge.

"He's a mage!" Colin said quickly, darting forward, too late.

Viscen moved fast, and Link was sure he would have been able to get out of the way in time, but suddenly he didn't need to. The spell was suddenly redirected sharply upwards, shattering the ceiling, and there was a sudden of surge of magic so great that Link's teeth rattled in their sockets and his eyes watered with the force of it.

When he blinked the tears out of his eyes, the captain and his one remaining man were dead, their armor bent horribly out of shape and their chests concave as if some great pressure had crushed them inwards.

Ingo looked up, terrified, at the dispassionate face of Ganondorf.

Several of the other patrons started at his sudden appearance, even the intimidating trio of Gonzo, Senza, and Nudge shrank back under the Gerudo leader's glare.

"You're Veran's men," he said, looking them over.

Gonzo stood up a little taller, it seemed he spoke for the other two. "And what of it? We've all got our reasons for getting rid of the little bastard. Now if you're not going to get the job done, get out of the way and let us do it!"

He smiled indulgently and turned to face Ingo, shaking in a heap of the floor. Although he was responding to Gonzo, there was no question as to who he was really talking to. "Don't worry," he spoke quietly. "The Magistrate will be taken care of."

"You… you can't do this…" he whispered.

"Magistrate Ingo," Ganondorf said, "you have not fulfilled your duties as a representative or caretaker of the people of your city."

"Please… don't…"

"You have abused your power and, consequentially, your citizens. You have turned a blind eye to or outright encouraged crimes of extortion, rape, and murder by men under your command." His voice grew in volume and command as his condemnation of the man in front of him shook the aged beams of the inn.

"Spare me… I beg you…"

"You are a selfish and unrepentant liar, a murderer, and a coward."

Ingo somehow managed to meet Ganondorf's gaze. "What… what are you going to do to me?"

"Get out."

A wide smile broke out on the faces of Veran's three enforcers as it became clear to them what was going to happen to Ingo. There was a squeak of hastily muffled laughter, as apparently Midna had worked it out as well.

The magistrate's face blanched. "No… you can't mean-"

Ganondorf placed one massive greave of black steel onto Ingo's leg and stepped down, hard. There was a sickening twisting crunch as bone and cartilage broke and tore. Ingo screamed, a wordless cry of pain, as he was then lifted bodily off the ground, writhing, by his now shattered leg. Ganondorf took two quick steps and threw the man out into the now-dark street.

"NO!" Was the only word Ingo could get out before the door slammed shut. Ganondorf snapped the leg off of a chair and used it to pin the handle against the door frame. Within seconds the door rattled feebly as the magistrate desperately tried to get back inside.

"I'll do anything, anything! Please! Just not this, you can't do this, oh Gods, please! You have to let me in! Do you want money? I have money, I can give you anything you want… oh, Gods… please… not like this… I don't want to… you can't do this to me! I am the magistrate! You can't! You can't!"

He continued to plead and beg pathetically, scratching at the outside of the door like an animal. Link looked around at most of the patrons, who were watching with a sick curiosity, unable to tear their eyes away.

Anju was still crying, and she looked as if she might be ill at any moment. Navi was firmly looking away, trying her best to ignore the grim spectacle. Ashei and Colin looked similarly uncomfortable, albeit with a firm determination on their faces. Viscen just looked tired.

Midna watched Ingo's torturous humiliation with her one visible eye wide, visibly trying not to laugh. Ganondorf, too, was pleased, with a satisfied smile on his face and in his eyes.

The cries from outside became more and more panicked "Let me in… please… I don't want to die… I don't… I can't… I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please! Please!" He was shouting now. "Please! Oh Gods, you can't do this! Any of you? Help me! I don't want to-"

Suddenly he was silent.

Everything was silent, the entire inn waiting on baited breath, afraid now.

From outside, there was the sound of something moving. Something that was not Ingo, but bigger, much bigger, skittering on many legs one moment and then slithering on the ground the next. If it was at all possible, the night outside seemed to become even darker.

The last thing they heard from the magistrate was a very quiet, hoarse whisper, still clearly audible. "you can't do this. I'm the magistrate."

Then there was a strangled cry, a thump, and a hideous, deafening crunching and tearing, quick and then gone, in the span of a second.

The thing that was still outside waited for a moment, and the sound of its footsteps pacing back and forth seemed to last forever. But then at last the footsteps faded, and the nameless horror disappeared once more into the night, carrying with it the reign of the late Magistrate Ingo.

* * *

I rewrote the last part of this a couple times in an attempt to achieve the effect that I hope is present here.

In this chapter we finally see the true nature of Ganondorf's Gerudo in action, and learn the extent to which he is prepared to go to achieve his goals. There are a couple characters who seem to enjoy Ingo's unfortunate demise a little too much, wouldn't you say? And what's this about another criminal group headed by Veran? Are they rivals with the Gerudo, or is there something more complicated there?

Also please take note of Tatl and Linebeck, and how they act in this chapter. These two really reflect how I am portraying each character in this story- essentially, how might each character have developed under a different set of circumstances? Without the moral influence and friendship of Link, it certainly seems possible that Tatl and Linebeck might have become petty criminals and extortionists. I hope to explore several other characters this way throughout this story, namely several key recurring characters (Rusl, Colin, Ganondorf, Zelda, Midna, Navi, Zant, Vaati, and yes, Link).

I felt this was the best chapter to tack that little explanation on the end. Consider it a 'foreshadowing' chapter, in a lot of ways.

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

Now that the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NBA Playoffs, Doctor Who, and Fullmetal Alchemist have all ended, along with my team being out of the World Cup, I now have nothing to occupy my free time. Nothing except this story right here. Since the original eleventh chapter that I wrote was way too long, I've divided it into sections. I've also gone through each of the previous chapters and changed the titles- I was originally going with a 'three words' theme but I didn't like how that was turning out. The new chapter naming scheme still does foucs on the number three, though.

* * *

11

Vaati Plays Devil's Advocate. In the Gardens of Hyrule. An Ambush.

* * *

"This is simply unacceptable, princess. Unacceptable!"

The diminutive Chancellor Cole paced back and forth in front of Zelda, gesticulating wildly in frustration. She glanced sideways at Rusl standing beside her throne, noticing the look of open contempt on his face. Behind Cole was Vaati, trying his best to look innocent but failing miserably.

"First Doutour is assassinated within this very castle, and nobody's heard from Magistrate Ingo in three days. And don't tell me you don't know what's happened to him. That is two of our magistrates murdered now, princess, two! The Council is prepared to seize power from the throne if something is not done to remedy the situation."

"Seize power?" Zelda asked, not bothering to keep the derision out of her voice. "Might I remind you that the council functions as a purely administrative body, and that any and all power you wield is only because I deign it so?"

Cole's face turned a splotchy red, and his mustache heaved. "You are not as secure as you think you are, princess! Your efficiency as a ruler is being questioned, up and down the ranks. Why, even your own vizier-"

Cole hastily stopped himself, but too late. Behind him Vaati scowled.

Rusl spoke. "You know, Vaati," he stared down at the diminutive mage, "I was about to ask just what you had to do with this mess. Explain yourself."

He smiled. Everybody in the room could see straight through him. "I merely agreed with the Chancellor's complaint about the safety of our citizens and officials, and felt that it should be brought to your Highness' attention."

"Now is not the time for your power plays, you ungrateful little-"

"Little?"

Zelda silenced Rusl with one hand and used the other to cut off Vaati's heated response before it got started. "Very well, then, Chancellor. What do you recommend be done?"

"That all military and legal authority be granted to the administration on a provisional-"

Rusl scoffed audibly, and Cole stopped.

"Is there a problem, Commandant?"

This time there was no silencing him. "For the Gods' sake, Cole, the Gerudo uprising is fast becoming a crisis, and the last thing we need is dissent within our own ranks! And you, Vaati, have you no loyalty? No sense of-"

"Of course it is a crisis, you fool!" Vaati spat, "And our leader has failed us, in case you hadn't noticed! How this… indifference can pass for leadership, I'll never comprehend."

Cole began to stammer a response, stifled by the sudden movement of the Commandant. Rusl shunted Cole out of the way and drew his sword, glaring at Vaati. "I'll not stand here and listen to you spout such lies. Defend yourself."

Vaati made no movement, but a faint breeze blew where there had previously been none. "Rusl. Your loyalty blinds you. You don't understand the danger we're in."

Zelda stood. It was telling that, even in the middle of his tirade and with Rusl's drawn sword at his throat, Vaati immediately put aside his argument and stood respectfully.

"You are quite correct, Chancellor." she said, somewhat reluctantly. "Ganondorf has obtained a potent magical power, one that he feels would guarantee him victory in a direct confrontation with myself. I have been contemplating for some time which course of action would be best in this circumstance."

Cole, still ruddy-faced, attempted to compose himself. "I would think that in this situation," he said, "your first obligation would be to the safety of your citizens."

"Now wait just a minute," Rusl sheathed his sword and stepped back from Vaati. "If what you say is true, then it's obvious that he's trying to goad you _into_ a direct confrontation! The assault on the High Street, the murder of Magistrate Dotour, and now Ingo three days ago…"

"Your Commandant has a point," Vaati agreed. "But so does Cole. If you intend to allow this string of violence to continue, then I am afraid that there is no option but to relieve you of your authority."

Zelda looked the three of them over; fiercely loyal Rusl, casually disobedient Vaati, and the nigh-irrelevant Cole. It was unlikely that Vaati was actually capable of following through on his threat, although she did not doubt that he would try. And it would not do to have such division within the castle, for she was certain that Ganondorf would seize that opportunity, as well.

She scolded herself for only realizing this now. Of course Ganondorf would have been aware of the circumstances his acts of terrorism were creating within the castle walls. He had been engineering this instability ever since Link had come to Hyrule, waiting for a moment when he could take advantage of a moment of weakness.

If she was going to fight, she concluded, it would have be on her own terms.

"Cole is correct," she announced, "my obligation is indeed to the safety of my citizens. However, it would be extremely unwise to rush into a confrontation with the Gerudo, especially with the power they now wield."

She looked Vaati in the eyes. "I need to trust every one of my soldiers implicitly."

Vaati smiled and, in a rare- albeit false- show of deference, bowed. "If it means putting an end to the Gerudo threat, then I am yours to command, Princess."

"Very well." She retreated into thought for a moment. Ganondorf would be expecting a confronation. However, he and Zelda shared a crucial weakness: an unwillingness to tell their subordinates anything more than precisely what they needed to know. And that meant that, if they acted fast, the core of the Gerudo could be brought down before they knew what hit them.

"Tonight, then."

* * *

There is a place, high enough in the city of Hyrule, that the rooftops are bathed in light, and low enough that they are still shadowed by building taller still, where there is a garden.

It is a place imbued with magic, unbelievably lush, a green jewel set in vast pillars of stone, spanning several rooftops with vines and trees and wood that almost seems to be alive the way it arcs an contorts. Carved statues on crumbling plinths line the pathways that wend their way through the gardens, and bridges of white stone span the gaps between buildings, covered by probing tendrils of ivy.

The trees are ancient, some as tall as buildings, their branches tightly interwoven and their leaves stretching out to cover swathes of grass and forest in soft shadows. Even their trunks are overgrown, vines and flowers clutching at their sides and hanging loosely from limbs high above the ground, a network as tightly woven and beautiful as any spider's web.

Technically, the artificial forest is a part of the Forest Temple, a vast hallowed castle dedicated to the worship of nature, and the very center of the garden is atop its flat roof. But the Forest Temple is at its heart a business, a vendor of sanctity and ultimately just another part of the cutthroat city, while the garden has become something else entirely.

Sitting cross legged in the grass, under the shade of a tree almost as tall as the spires around it, just beside a curving stone pathway and elegant marble fountain, was Ganondorf.

"How did you find me?" he said, after a time, to the only other person in the gardens. They were oddly deserted today, it seemed.

"The same way you found me, the first night I was here." The Triforce thrummed within Link, identifying the power of its sibling sitting in the grass. The symbol of the power glowed on the back of his hand. "If I listen to it, I can hear it, wanting to join its sisters."

When Ganondorf said nothing more, Link continued. "You lied to me."

"I did not tell you the truth. There is a difference." He took a deep breath. The air seemed softer, sweeter here. The shade cast by the leaves was somehow so much more comfortable than the hard-edged umbra cast by the city.

"Not in my books."

"I didn't think you needed to know."

"You didn't think I needed to know about this?" Link asked, making no effort to hide his contempt. "That because of _this_ I was the tiebreaker in some sort of eternal game between you and Zelda? You think keeping it a secret was a good idea? I was going to find out somehow."

"You met the princess, I assume." It was an odd reversal of roles that Link would suddenly be so open and brash, and Ganondorf so calm. But he had really been expecting this conversation ever since the night he had met Link, so perhaps that was the reason for his composure.

"Never think you can decide what I need to know," Link said darkly. "Zelda's told me the truth, which is much more than I can say for you."

"Don't be mistaken and think that anything Zelda does is for your sake. She is using you."

"And you aren't?"

"I don't see other people as a means to an end, if that's what you mean." Ganondorf felt the Triforce resonate once again, although he thought it likely that Link didn't notice. If he did, it was almost certain he didn't realize what it meant. "Everything that I do is for the sake of the people in this city."

"Like murder?"

Ganondorf bit back a heated retort. In the cool moisture of the gardens he found his inner calm once more. "Ingo was a criminal. He deserved worse than what he got."

Link could not think of many things worse than being left to the jaws of the beast that roamed the city at night. "So your solution is to sink to their level?"

"My solution, Link, is whatever is necessary. I care for this city, for its people- There are only three things in this world that Zelda cares about."

At Link's wordless inquiry, Ganondorf held up his own hand, upon which the Triforce burned still.

He continued. "She would in an instant condemn everybody in Hyrule to die if it meant the complete power of the Triforce was within her grasp."

Although Link took this with a grain of salt, the truth was that he really did think Ganondorf was the lesser of two evils when compared to Zelda. The princess had displayed far too much callousness for him to ever see her as someone he could trust.

"You're a member of the Gerudo, Link. My people are gone, which makes all of you the only family I have left."

"Glad we cleared this up, then." Link said.

"Glad we did."

He turned to leave- he'd told Midna he wouldn't be gone long. "You've still got a lot to explain if you want my help, though."

"Naturally. But, Link-"

Link stopped.

"There are still some things I cannot tell you. And there are things that even I do not understand."

He nodded, reluctantly, and then left, leaving Ganondorf alone in the garden above the forest temple. His tall form folded up onto the ground, and Ganondorf closed his eyes and began to meditate.

He sat there in the grass for some time. A casual passerby might have made the mistake of thinking that he was asleep. The birds continued their song and the gentle breeze flicked at the long red hair of the Gerudo leader, occasionally breaking the peaceful silence with the warm rustling noise of the leaves.

* * *

"Godsdammit. You stupid stupid idiot. Where are you?"

Midna continued to mutter under her breath as she tore through the Market District of Hyrule, leaping from shadow to shadow like an exceptionally foul-mouthed ghost.

An hour ago Link had strolled out of the Spirit Temple, mentioning that he was heading to Cremia's for a quick drink and that anybody who needed him could find him there.

He hadn't been there.

And it seemed like had never been anywhere near Cremia's, or indeed the entire Market District, Midna angrily concluded after searching with frantic desperation for twenty minutes.

It hadn't been long after Link left. Viscen had burst noisily through the doors of the Spirit Temple, dressed, oddly enough, in the armour of the royal guards.

He'd quickly explained that his day job was as a spy in the castle for Ganondorf- and he'd learned that the guards were going to be conducting a raid on the Spirit Temple that very night, just before sundown. With two of their most powerful assets missing, they barely stood a chance.

Fortunately, Viscen knew where Ganondorf went, during those mysterious disappearances of his. And Link had left a forwarding address. The two of them had wasted no time.

But now it seemed that either Link had already left, or he had never been there at all. Midna, swearing furiously, continued to search the crowded streets of the market, flitting at a breakneck pace from the shadows of a businesslike Deku Scrub to a child playing happily on his flute to a Zora selling swimwear to an angry purple boy-

Wait.

Like everything that day, it all happened horribly fast.

With what felt like a painfully tight grip around her ankle, Midna was forcibly hauled out of the shadows and into the material world, the waning sunlight momentarily blinding her sensitive eyes the way it always did. In those first few moments of delirious distraction she tried to summon a magical shield of darkness, but it was effortlessly shattered.

A blow, magic or material, struck her in the back of the head and her stone helm momentarily slid forward to block her vision. Whatever had snagged her wrapped about her ankles again and slammed her into the ground.

The market denizens screamed. There was the sound of many feet at once, some fleeing, some rushing forward.

Midna smiled savagely and righted her headgear. Someone had attacked her while she was inside the shadows, which meant that someone had advanced knowledge of the magic necessary to perform such an assault.

There were not very many people in Hyrule who knew shadow magic, and her heart skipped a beat as her mind leapt to the likely identity of her assailant.

Sure enough, when she adjusted her helm and could see again, Zant loomed menacingly directly above her.

She flung all the fire she could muster at him, searing the air white-blue with the force of her hatred. The spell was dangerously reckless, more than potent enough to engulf them both.

But the flames were extinguished in an instant. The air itself vanished around them, depriving the fire of the fuel it needed to exist and unceremoniously snuffing the spell out.

"Give up," said a drawling voice. Vaati, the second Vizier, floated to the ground behind her. Midna saw guards elbowing their way through the rapidly dispersing crowd, rushing forwards. Far too many guards for this to be an ordinary day at market.

"Don't give up," Zant whispered in what was almost a loving tone. "Fight. Fight me. Please. Let me kill you. I need to."

Two of the most experienced and powerful magi in the world, along with an inordinate amount of reinforcements and all the pointy metal that entailed. Midna's fingers, almost involuntarily, began to trace patterns that glowed in the air.

"You don't seriously intend to fight?" Vaati spoke as if to an ignorant child, watching cautiously as she wove the spell. "You can't possibly win."

"Wanna bet?" Midna asked, plunging her arms shoulder-deep once more into flame and shadow.

* * *

Something was wrong at the Spirit Temple.

It was late enough that, although the sun was not yet set, that the lamps should have been lit inside and yet, Link could see through the unshuttered windows that this was not the case.

So it was with his sword drawn that he stepped through the door and over the threshold, tentatively calling out, "Hello?"

The floorboards creaked, loud in the silence, which was the next thing Link noticed. The Spirit Temple was almost always noisy, and that should be doubly true now that Link recalled that the particularly loud group of Ashei, Colin, Navi, and Midna had been here when he left.

So now Link picked up a shield from its place in the wall, so finely polished that its surface reflected his face as well as any mirror. He stepped adroitly from the foyer and into the mess of clutter that comprised the excuse for a building.

Stepping through the gathering darkness, he cursed the mess that could have a surprise attack strike from just about any angle and hide nearly a full complement of men. It turned out, however, that the greatest threat was not hidden at all.

When he'd left, Midna, Colin and Ashei had been sitting around a table playing a card game, Midna floating in midair as always, while the other two reclined lazily on an overstuffed couch.

There was only one person on the couch now, a middle aged man who sat with his hands folded in his lap, looking mournfully into nothing. He was wearing a flawless set of armour, replete with a gold-trimmed cape, and numerous badges of rank.

Link almost didn't recognize Rusl, and struggled to place him until he turned and spoke. "Hello, Link."

Link settled immediately into a fighting stance, but couldn't bring himself to strike while the man was seated, while his weapon was still sheathed. Perhaps it was honour, and perhaps it was the overwhelming feeling that it was precisely what Rusl wanted.

"Don't do that. Please. Put your sword away." Rusle stood, slowly, and as he did so the Spirit Temple was suddenly filled with a cacophony of jangling armour as soldiers, no longer hidden, revealed themselves. He was surrounded.

Link looked calmly around him, and knew he was beat. He sheathed his sword and unbuckled the shield. "Where are they?" he asked.

"Unharmed," Rusl said. "I see you've become acquainted with my son, Colin." An odd fire burned in the Commandant's eyes. "I'm very proud of him, you know."

"He's a good man," Link said defiantly.

"Indeed. Truly a shame. Really, he's… just a boy. Far too young for this line of work." Looking more tired than ever, Rusl put out his hand and made a tossing motion. "Slowly now, please."

Link threw the shield to Rusl, who caught it and handed it to the soldier next to him. But when he tossed over his sword, still sheathed, the Commandant dropped it as soon as he touched it, a momentary wince of pain the only clue as to what had happened.

"That is interesting." He examined both of his hands detachedly, the way a doctor might contemplate a grievous wound. At length he unfastened the clasp of his cape and wrapped the sword in that before handing it to the soldier.

"Alfonzo, take that up to the castle, please. Make sure that the Princess gets hold of it, but tell her not to touch the sword."

The man nodded and hurried off. The other men stepped forward and grabbed hold of Link, wresting his hands behind his back. He felt cold iron wrap itself around one, and then both, of his wrists. The guards started to frog-march him out of the room.

"No need for that, he can walk on his own."

The soldiers tentatively relaxed their grip on Link. Rusl jogged forward and was soon walking beside him as they exited the Spirit Temple. "Wait, wait here," Rusl stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, and they stood there on the cobbled street.

Within minutes, a horse-drawn carriage rolled up to the Temple and Link stepped inside, soldiers taking their places on either side of him.

Rusl sat directly across from him, and the carriage began to move over the rough stone.

"You've got a date with the princess."

* * *

As the shadows in the garden lengthened, the twinkles of fireflies illuminated the darkening foliage, while at the same time luminous flowers bloomed in cold blue, hidden during the day.

The garden bathed by thousands of natural lights was an eerie, beautiful sight, and yet Ganondorf did not cease his meditation. It was some time before his concentration finally broke, and he said, "If you're expecting a show of deference, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

"Believe me, deference is the last thing I'm expecting from you."

Ganondorf opened his eyes.

Although absolutely no sound had been made to signal her approach, the Princess Zelda stood on the stone pathway in front of him. She was dressed for war, in gleaming metal, and with a rapier sheathed at her side.

Ganondorf stood. "The first visit you pay to me in years, old friend, and you come looking for a fight?"

"No," she said. "It's not a fight I'm here for."

Through the trees, out of the darkness, soldiers appeared and torches sparked into life, their light joining that of the plants and insects. The men, all heavily armed, hustled forward and soon Ganondorf was at the center of a ring of torchlight.

He reached for his sword, but the motion was stopped by a blade at his throat. He half-turned, and a familiar voice greeted him ruefully. "Sorry, boss." Viscen said.

* * *

The pacing in this chapter was very difficult, and I'm still not sure it's exactly how I want it. The problem is augmented by the fact that this chapter jumps around everywhere, showing several things happening at once. I wanted it to seem very heated, as if everything was happening fast, almost out of control. We start to see some of Ganondorf and Zelda's plans move further along their course here, and I also wanted to create the feeling of inevitability, that the events in the next few chapters and through the rest of the story are beyond anybody's control.


	12. Chapter 12

I've recieved a fantastic response for the last two or three chapters that have been published, I've gotten some very nice reviews and have also been featured for the second time on TV Tropes' fanfiction recommendations page. As a show of gratitude to everybody reading this story, I made sure to get Chapter 12 out a little early for you guys.

It's not as if I could have restrained myself much longer. The scene depicted in this chapter was conceived before I even began writing Chapter 1, and it was very satisfying to type it out at last. This chapter represents a significant turning point in the plot, not a true climax, per se, but the first of many.

* * *

12

The Ride up to the Castle. Zelda Loses her Cool. Father and Son.

* * *

They bobbed back and forth inside the carriage as it wound its way unsteadily up towards the castle. The horses at the front were clearly spooked, tossing their heads and rolling their eyes uneasily.

Inside the carriage, the soldiers crowding beside Link and Rusl were just as nervous, casting increasingly frequent glances towards the dark streets outside the carriage. Eventually, one of them stuck his head out the window and shouted, "Look at the sky! You know how dark it is? Can't this thing go any faster?"

The driver yelled back, "Shut up! Hard enough keeping these horses under control with a damn monster could be 'round any damn corner."

"It's fine, Nudge," Rusl said. "The Nameless has taken a night off."

The man looked doubtful, but did not dare to contradict the Commandant's word. He settled back into his seat, jostling the cuffs that bound Link's arms.

"How do you know that?" Link asked.

Rusl did not answer him.

"What is going to happen to us?" he asked next.

Rusl still said nothing.

"What about Colin? Your own son. What's going to happen to him?"

This got to him. The Commandant looked at his feet, out the window, at the ceiling, anywhere but meet the eyes of another person in the carriage. "I… I cannot afford to discriminate. My son broke the law. For him to receive anything other than his just punishment… it wouldn't be right."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you're not the only one who thinks like that?"

Rusl frowned, not understanding. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that Colin is doing what he believes is the right thing, and, despite the fact that he loves you, he's prepared to kill you if he has to."

Now he met Link's eyes. "Good." Rusl nodded and continued, speaking to himself more than he was speaking to Link. "Good. That's… that's the kind of man I'd want my son to be."

"You're prepared to let your own son die?"

"I'm proud of him. He stands up for what he believes in."

"Well, be careful where your pride leads you."

The coach rattled to a halt, and the door opened- there were more soldiers waiting for them outside. They stepped outside into the cold night, Link's breath hanging in the air in front of him this high above the city.

Escorted by armed men on either side, Link and Rusl walked side-by-side into the castle. A thousand tiny points of light hung in the dark sky, framing the gargantuan edifice- the torchlight spilling out of the windows, climbing the walls high above them. The sound of running water from the courtyard's fountains filled his ears.

"That's what makes an honourable man," Rusl said as they stepped through the polished double doors and into a warm, carpeted atrium. "A man who never compromises, his beliefs, even in the face of death. I'd be proud to call such a man my son… and I'd hope… that he'd be proud to call me his father."

"Sounds more like a stubborn man to me," Link responded, shaking off the gloved hands guiding his shoulders and walking under his own power, his arms still in irons behind his back.

"That perhaps I'm stubborn. And what about you, Link? You could die tonight. How will you face your death, when it comes for you?"

They walked straight through the atrium, deserted at this time of night, up a spiral flight of stairs, and into a series of long hallways and superfluously luxurious rooms.

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Rusl muttered.

"Nobody needs to die," Link responded, finally. "This isn't worth dying for, Rusl, and it isn't worth losing your son."

Rusl contemplated this for a moment. "You're young."

"What's that got to do with it?"

"Because you don't realize that every man has something he's willing to die for, and something he's willing to kill for. Sometimes, they're one and the same, but other times…"

They at last walked into a room with no entrances or exits save the door behind them. The high ceiling was decorated with ancient frescoes depicting the city of Hyrule, and statues of the Gods and Goddesses lined the walls. The Royal Crest hung high on the far wall, near the ceiling, carved entirely out of gold, and beneath it was a raised dais and an ornate throne. The throne was empty, at the moment.

"…The other times, those two things are different. And that's when it becomes important to find out which of those two causes a man holds most dear."

On the floor in the center of the room were three circles that seemed to be made out of light. Each was as wide as a fully grown man's armspan, and comprised of a series of complex runes and words in a language he could not read.

They were clearly rife with a powerful magic. Link thought that he could hear the humming of the spells as they approached.

"Stand in the circle, if you please," Rusl said, "The middle one."

He looked back. The Commandant shoved him forward.

Link sighed in resignation, and stepped into the glowing runes. As soon as he set foot in the circle, it felt as if an enormous weight had been placed on his shoulders and, at the same time, there was another wrapped around his legs, dragging him to the ground.

He could not stand. Sinking to his knees, the weight lessened ever so slightly, but when he tried to escape the runes, it grew once more until he could not move.

"It's a binding circle," said a voice.

There was a woman in the circle to his left. Tall, shapely, and pale, with fiery red hair, she knelt as well, bound by the magic. Dried blood crusted her face underneath her nose and around her mouth, and the way she clutched at her abdomen hinted at a wound there, as well.

"Powerful… powerful magic," she said tiredly, "It saps your strength unless you give in to its pull. Not exactly a prison, but keeps hooligans like us under control, eh?"

"I'm sorry," Link looked her over. At first he thought she was naked, but then it became apparent that she was clothed in what seemed to be the shadows themselves. "But… have we met?"

The woman laughed uproariously, or at least as uproariously as she could given the circumstances. "You're a little bit slow, aren't you? Eehee. Not your fault, I guess. But it sure is humbling to know that your most memorable feature is a silly hat."

His eyes widened in realization. "No! No… Midna?"

She nodded.

"But you're…"

"Seven feet tall?" She asked. "Oh, it's not so bad. You can just be on top if it intimidates you that much."

It was Midna, all right.

"What… what happened to you?"

She jerked her head towards the far wall. Following her vitriolic gesture, he spotted a small purple child leaning morosely against the wall, and beside him, an extremely tall and skinny man in black robes, is face hidden by an enormous pointed helm. "Vaati and Zant," Midna spat, "Zelda's two viziers. They ambushed me."

"Yeah, I got jumped, too. I was actually asking how come you're not an imp thing anymore."

"I'll tell you if we ever get out of this godsdamned mess alive." She jerked her head again to indicate Rusl standing behind them, eavesdropping on their conversation.

More guards entered the room, escorting the defiant pair or Colin and Ashei. They were made to kneel next to Midna, although no binding circles had been traced on the ground for them. Out of the corner of his eye, Link also noticed that they were unbound.

"The circles are only for big-shots like us, I guess," Midna whispered. "Want to put money on who that last one is for?"

The four of them knelt silently, staring straight ahead, not making eye contact with any of their captors. Everybody in the room began to fidget restlessly as more and more time passed- nearly two hours- and still nobody spoke. They all knew who they were waiting for.

It was deep into the night when at last the doors to the throne room opened one more time.

Ganondorf walked in wordlessly and complacently took his spot in the circle beside Link, grunting slightly as the magic took effect and hauled him to his knees.

He saw Viscen enter, as well, but to his great surprise, the old man did not take a position along the kneeling line of prisoners. Instead, he stood quietly behind them, just beside Rusl.

Link turned and looked at him. Viscen looked away.

The last person to enter the room was Princess Zelda herself, walking calmly to take her place standing triumphantly in front of the defeated Gerudo. The metal plates of her armour shone brightly in the magically augmented torchlight, her ornate rapier very real and very menacing strapped at her side.

"Is this all of them?" she asked.

There was a moment's hesitation, and then it was Viscen who answered her. "All but one. There's a fairy, Navi, she must have escaped."

Colin, surprisingly, was the first to speak up, his voice almost unrecognizable for the amount of hate that it held. "You coward…" he began glaring at Viscen, but Zelda with a raised hand cut him off.

"Shh," she hushed him. "Be quiet. Can't you feel it?"

Colin was, understandably, confused. Link saw similar puzzled looks from Midna, as well as several of the guards in the room. But he understood perfectly. He felt it.

There was something, deep within him, that felt… _right_ here. It scared him. It felt that, even if the spell restraining him was to fall away, if the soldiers with all their weapons were to part, and the doors to open, he still would not escape. He wouldn't want to.

He belonged here. With Zelda, and with Ganondorf. His partners in this sacred bond. No. More than that. His siblings.

It was only when his vision blurred slightly that Link realized that he was crying, tears springing unbidden to his eyes. Zelda, too, was weeping, eyes and the pale, flawless skin of her face shining with moisture. He looked next to him and saw that Ganondorf, as well- moisture wound its way down that imposing, weatherbeaten face.

It went without saying that this was a very unusual sight. He heard Midna and Ashei gasp audibly, and several of the guards exchanged worried looks. Rusl hurried forward to Zelda's side. "Princess! Is everything all right?"

"Leave me be, Rusl," she said, and he withdrew slightly, but did not retake his place behind the prisoners.

Zelda stepped forward and knelt, so that she was at eye level with the two other Bearers. "You feel it," she said insistently, "Tell me you feel it."

"I do," Link whispered.

"Zelda-" Ganondorf began.

"Such power," she marvelled aloud. "Goddesses, I have never felt such- No! Why invoke their name in wonder, when we rival even them? The three of us, on a whim, could destroy Hyrule and begin anew."

A chill ran down Link's spine, because he believed that Zelda might actually try it.

"Zelda, that is precisely why this power has been divided between three of us, and not placed in the hands one lost little princess."

This seemed to snap her out of her reverie. She stood, and stepped back, so that she was once standing imperiously over them. "You are a fool, Ganondorf. A sad and pathetic excuse for a king, substituting this little band of insurgents for your lost nation of savages."

"I am not the king of my 'insurgents,' Zelda. I am their comrade." The way Ganondorf was speaking hinted that this was perhaps not the first time he had had this particular conversation.

She laughed coldly. "We could have such power. The three of us could rule Hyrule, no kings or queens, but gods. We have so much power at our disposal, and you're willing to throw it away?"

Ganondorf looked down at his hand. "Power is not what you're looking for, Zelda."

"Oh? Then what am I looking for?"

"I don't know. And I think that it's very likely you don't either."

"Is anybody paying any attention to us?" Midna asked. "At all?"

Link was growing increasingly wary as the conversation continued. When he had met Zelda, days ago in the Royal Library, she had seemed cold and aloof, almost incapable of showing emotion. But the Zelda that he saw here was growing increasingly heated, and was most definitely emotional.

She turned to him, now. "Link. You needn't have anything to do with this has-been and his delusions of a rebellion. You know what really matters, what's really important. What binds us together."

"I think," he said, very slowly, "That you and I have very different ideas of what's important."

Zelda shook her head insistently, sweeping a hand across the room. "All of this, Link- Hyrule, the people, the world itself, all of it will die someday. Only we are immortal. As long as the power of the gods lives on, so do we."

"I'm sorry, Princess," Link said as respectfully as he could, trying in vain to defuse the tension in the room, "But I'm not interested in power. If I can live my life knowing that the people who live here are free to live theirs as well, then I'll be happy."

This only served to make her angrier. "So you'd just ignore this gift you've been given? You have the ability to do so much, and you'd cast that aside and live like a peasant?"

"I don't think that either of us have the right to wield such power, princess."

"Then you are being irresponsible. Why else would we have been granted the Triforce, if we are not to use it? We are meant to rule over the people. it is our destiny!"

"Do not fool yourself into thinking that you are immortal," Ganondorf said quietly.

Zelda ignored him, but her next statement had the definite sound of an ultimatum. "This power was given to us for a reason, Link, and I _know_ that they meant for us to ascend to godhood and join our creators."

"I don't think that entails us casting aside the people who we're supposed to be protecting."

Her flawless features suddenly twisted themselves into an approximation of rage, and Zelda stood. "You are both unworthy and ungrateful for the power the gods have granted you. Both of you."

"You don't understand, Zelda," Ganondorf tried to reason with her one last time. "This search for meaning is pointless. Look at where it's led you. You were a benevolent ruler once, long ago-"

"The traitors Ganondorf and Link will be executed at dawn," she said dismissively, "For the crimes of high treason and blasphemy against our Goddesses."

"You're a fool, Zelda!" He shouted at her, straining against the magical bonds that held him. "What is this pathetic excuse for wisdom? Nothing! You know nothing! You are-"

She turned and slapped him across the face, hard, hard enough to draw blood when the gauntlet smashed against the bridge of his nose.

The next thing that happened did occur very quickly, much too fast to anticipate and nearly too fast to react to. But Link saw the whole thing from start to finish, and had he not been bound, he could have stopped it well before it played out, had he desired.

It was over the span of three seconds.

There was one other person who was in a position to prevent what happened next- Rusl stood beside and behind the princess, armed and able to move freely. Link knew that his reflexes were easily as well-honed as his own, and probably more so, and on top of that even saw Rusl's eyes follow the sequence of events from its beginning until its conclusion.

The Commandant did not even draw his sword. It was as if it did not even occur to him to do so, that his mind simply could not process the concept of taking the necessary action.

What happened was this: Colin proved himself to be both Rusl's son and a truly loyal member of the Gerudo.

Not that Colin was anywhere near skilful enough that what he did would succeed nine times out of ten, or even ninety-nine times out of a hundred. His ability as a warrior did have quite a bit to do with it, but the fact of the matter is that in the next three seconds everything aligned itself perfectly for him and Colin hit upon what was easily the quickest and most fortuitous streak of luck in his entire life.

Viscen, from his place behind the line of prisoners and between Colin and Midna, cried aloud in pain and began to fall. Somewhere on his person, Colin had secreted a knife, most likely in his shoe or the crook of his arm, somewhere that had no doubt managed to luckily escape what must have been a hasty and incomplete search.

He knew that even a single motion to look backwards would have given him away, so he struck blind, and just happened to get lucky yet again. Without looking to pick his target he stabbed Viscen in the thigh, hitting him just above the knee, and slashed outwards, ripping apart tendons and crippling his former comrade.

As Viscen fell, Colin snatched the sword at Viscen's waist and drew it as he leapt to his feet and took three quick steps.

Zelda at this time had just completed the act of striking Ganondorf in the face with no small amount of force, momentum that carried her whole body along with it. She had stepped into the strike and was now committed to the follow-through.

This, of course, prevented her from reacting as quickly as she might have to the charging Colin. Out of the corner of her eye she must have seen him, though, because she turned and reached for her own weapon, although by that point it was already too late.

Had the assailant been anybody else, they would not have even made it halfway across the floor to where Zelda was. Rusl, with his deadly reflexes, would have struck them down in an instant. But this was his son.

Rusl hesitated.

Colin took those three steps past his gaping father and, on the third step, launched himself high into the hair with Viscen's sword raised in both hands above his head. The Princess Zelda had turned to face him as she made the motion to draw her rapier, which meant that as he came down the point of the blade struck her high in the chest, in a spot above and just to the side of her left breast.

As it happened, the gap in her armour that exposed itself as she turned and reached towards her waist happened to coincide with the spot where Colin's sword struck. The force created by the forward and downwards momentum of his body acted naturally to drive the blade in his hands forward and downwards, so that the point of the blade reappeared once more just below Zelda's shoulder blades and just above the small of her back.

Colin ran Zelda through with the sword, and this was where his miraculous streak of luck ended.

Several of the soldiers cried aloud at this, and there were a few loud exclamations of "No!" From where they had been observing the proceedings at the far end of the throne room, Zant and Vaati immediately rushed forward.

Link heard loud, shocked gasps from both Ashei and Midna, and thought that even Ganondorf had allowed a startled exhortation. But the Gerudo leader leapt into action faster than anybody, giving an almighty roar of effort and throwing himself to the side.

The magic circle crackled and for an instant Link saw a visible wall of energy straining against Ganondorf's efforts, but then the wall shattered, the circle broke and vanished, and Ganondorf launched himself through the air and right into Link.

He hit Link hard, crashing into him and sending them both flying. For an instant it felt as if he had been thrown into a wall, a wall that not only became harder the more you pushed at it bit also pushed back- but then the wall broke and Link was free, as well.

Colin and Zelda simply stood where they were, frozen in shock. Neither seemed to be able to process what had just happened, Zelda in desperate denial, and Colin unable to believe that his suicidal venture had actually succeeded.

It was in that instant that Rusl realized what he had done, or rather, what he had allowed to be done through his inability to stop his own son. Overwhelmed with guilt, and rage, and despair, and confusion, Rusl acted without thinking, his soldiers' training taking hold and carrying out the action in a vain attempt to redeem himself for his moment of hesitation.

The Commandant's sword moved in a blur of steel and reflected torchlight, and his son crumpled.

"Colin!" Link bellowed.

"Impossible," Ganondorf breathed next to him. He was not talking about what had happened to Colin.

Zelda had taken two unwitting steps back from where Colin lay on the floor, almost certainly dead. Her face was not fixed in the slack , unfocused gaze of the dead or dying, but rather held an expression of shock and extreme indignation, as if she was unbelieving of the fact that someone had dared to stab _her_.

But the most telling fact that all was not quite right was that the wound was entirely bloodless. Nothing stained her armour or dripped down the blade of the sword; it was one clean puncture, almost like if the sword had been run through a scarecrow instead of a human being.

"That's impossible," Ganondorf said again. "How has she done this?"

Zelda, with a visible display of effort, reached up and laid her hand on the blade that pierced her chest, working some sort of magic on it. It glowed for an instant, and then vanished into nothingness, leaving the Princess to fall momentarily to her knees before struggling again to her feet with fire in her eyes.

"That is bad," said Ganondorf.

"Guys, gimme a hand here!" Midna shouted, unable to overpower the binding circle. "Get me out of this thing!"

Link and Ganondorf each seized an arm and pulled and, with a swear of pain, Midna was yanked free. For some reason Link had thought she would return to her usual diminutive appearance when she came free of the circle, but she remained taller than he was.

"We gotta get out of here," she said.

A bolt of what appeared to be lightning flew at her face, and Midna barely managed to deflect the magic before retorting with a strike of her own. Zant and Vaati hurled sparking death at them with a savage desperation, and Midna and Ganondorf were suddenly locked in combat, barely able to keep pace.

Link turned and saw that the guards, weapons drawn, were advancing on them from all directions. They were surrounded.

"My sword!" he yelled, "Where's my sword!"

"We need to go!" Midna repeated, directing waves of fire towards the two viziers. "We need to go right now!"

Ashei tackled the soldier nearest her and dragged him to the ground. After a brief struggle, she seized hold of his weapon and stabbed him twice. He lay still.

"Clear a path to the exit!" Ganondorf yelled. "We need to run!"

Zelda had regained her balance. A golden light had begun to shine over the hole in her chest, and she seemed to stagger slightly as she drew her rapier and began to weave magic of her own.

"We need to run, NOW!" Ganondorf bellowed, again.

The path to the exit was blocked by the advancing men. Link saw more soldiers running to cut them off, as the circle around the four of them tightened and the gaps disappeared.

Only one person was unaffected by the chaos. Rusl's mind had finally caught up to his well-trained hands, and had processed what that had done.

The Commandant sank to his knees and, oblivious to the fighting, bent over the spot where his son lay motionless on the ground, wrapping his arms around the boy and clutching Colin's lifeless form to his chest.

* * *

It sure is satisfying to finally be moving the plot of this story forward, let me tell you. There still is a lot of ground to cover, though, and I feel I should point out that I did not choose the name _Sacred Reliquary_ for nothing. That will come into play soon enough.

We've also reached that point in the story where there will be three or four cliffhanger endings in a row. Bear with me, cause I know it can be tough.

Happy Independence Day to any bros down south who happen to be reading, and a late Happy Canada Day to anyone from the True North strong and free.


	13. Chapter 13

I've had this written for a while, but waited on publishing it because I wanted to make sure that it fit with the direction the story will be taking in future chapters. This is the continuation of the climax that began in Chapter 12, as well as the beginning of a new direction in the plot. If I were to divide this story into three acts, this chapter would be the end of the first.

* * *

13.

A Relaxing Carriage Ride. Chaos in the Market District. Tea and Whiskey (Reprise)

* * *

"Get to the door!" Ganondorf bellowed, "Break it open!"

"Keep 'em off me!" Ashei yelled back.

Link chose not to speak, saving his breath. He had procured a blade and was using it expertly, the shackles on his hands broken thanks to Ganondorf's magic.

Midna, of course, was the exact opposite, spitting out a constant stream of swears and vicious threats. "We gotta get out of here soon," she said, between profanities, "Without my shadows, I'm no good!"

"We're going!" Ganondorf's voice rose above the din. Lowering his wide shoulders, he charged forward, cutting a swath through Zelda's forces as men were batted aside effortlessly. But more surged forward to take their place, steel clanging against steel, magic spitting from the hands of magi.

They were backed up against the door now, four of them against far too many.

"It's been magicked shut!" Ganondorf said, "Cover me!"

Link turned and caught a burst of magic on the blade of his stolen sword, whirling and sending it back towards Vaati, who dodged it and threw another. He parried that as well, and had just prepared himself to deflect another when someone leapt on top of him and they both crashed heavily to the ground.

Long hair blocked his vision and he swept it aside to reveal the Princess Zelda's face only inches from his own.

She raised both arms high above her head, and Link felt the air crackling around the two of them, sizzling with energy. But the motion was sloppy, unpractised, and Link realized very quickly that Zelda was at this moment not her normal self at all.

She was lighter than he was, by a good deal. Link threw her off of him and then lunged forward and struck her in the side with a blow that should have cleaved her in two.

Zelda's armour absorbed much of the force behind the blade, but no breastplate in the world could have completely deflected it. The sword, snatched hastily from the floor where it had fallen from the hands of a dead soldier, sank deep into Zelda's side.

She did not scream, or flinch, or react in any way that might have betrayed that she was in pain. Neither did she bleed, or die. Instead, she continued to try and kill him, although this time she seemed unable to summon the focus to make a concerted effort at it. Zelda flailed wildly, energy crackling up and down her arms in wild, erratic, bursts and fizzling harmlessly against the tiles of the floor, the ceiling, the walls.

"Let's go, let's go!"

"LINK!"

A shuddering boom told him that Ganondorf had managed to disenchant the enormous double doors and force them open. Kicking Zelda away from him, Link managed to thread his way through the chaos and join his comrades in their hasty retreat.

"Follow me," Ganondorf took a hard right.

"I'm not…. used to this whole running… thing…" Midna gasped as she loped along beside them with her suddenly long legs. She conjured a fireball and flung it back at their pursuers. "Flying… much… better…"

"Where are we going?" Ashei yelled.

They continued to weave through the corridors, Ganondorf navigating his way with practiced ease. Behind them, Vaati and Zant led the charge of soldiers as Midna hurled magic to keep them at bay. Zelda herself, though, seemed to have fallen behind.

At last they stumbled out into the moonlight. The carriage that had brought Link up to the castle was still stationed out front.

"Get on!" Ganondorf said, and Midna clambered atop the vehicle.

"But… there's no horses," Ashei said.

"We don't need horses."

Ashei hesitantly followed Midna.

Link, understanding immediately what Ganondorf was trying to do, joined the Gerudo leader in throwing his weight behind the carriage's wheels as slowly, ponderously, it began to move forwards.

"But I don't get how we're going to…" Ashei's voice trailed off. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no…"

"This is a bad idea and we are all going to die and I love it," Midna said.

"One!" Ganondorf said, stepping backwards.

The sound of doors being thrown open along the castle walls was soon accompanied by frenzied shouts and the clanking of metal in motion as the soldiers hurried towards them.

"Two!" Link and Ganondorf said at the same time.

"Close the gate! CLOSE THE GATE!" Vaati screamed, his childlike voice cracking shrilly, and the trellis gate to the High Street began to clank shut.

"THREE!"

Link and Ganondorf took a running start and threw their weight into the back of the carriage as it began to pick up speed along the garden path.

They clung to the side of the carriage as it trundled along, carrying them closer and closer towards the descending gate. Vaati and Zant threw magic at them, but it fizzled high and wide as the distance between them only increased.

Ashei and Midna rolled off the top of the carriage to join Link and Ganondorf on each side as the gate closed atop the now rapidly moving vehicle, gouging strips of wood off the top with a splintering crunch, but coming down too late to stop it completely.

With four Gerudo clinging desperately to its sides, the carriage rolled out of the castle courtyard and sailed along down the long, cobbled hill that was the High Street.

* * *

Only two people remained in the throne room.

Zelda had managed to haul herself into a kneeling position from where she had been lying prone on the floor. She attempted to yank the sword from her side, but the armour had crumpled around it to hold it in place.

She had not yet recovered the focus nor the strength to magic it away the way she had done with the sword that had impaled her.

Rusl was still holding the body of his dead son, occasionally running his fingers through Colin's hair or along his jawline, the way he had done when his son had been much younger.

He had cut Colin high, crushing the boy's ribs and slicing into his heart with his finely honed blade. The blood had stained the floor and much of Rusl's Commandant's armour, as he sat there with his son's head in his lap.

"R- Rusl…"

"Yes, your Highness." Rusl looked up. His face and speech did not betray any emotion he might have felt. No tears glistened against his unshaven cheeks, no hitch found itself present in his voice.

"Go… after them. K-Kill the boy… Link."

Zelda had begun to do a most unusual thing, and that was to glow with a peculiar golden light. The light originated form the wounds in her side and chest; it was almost as if the Princess was glowing from within.

"Yes, your Highness." Rusl stood, after a long glance at his son's face. He picked up his sword from where it had fallen- still stained with Colin's blood, he sheathed it at his side.

But the Commandant stopped at the door and, without looking back, asked, "Princess… did I do the right thing?"

"Y-you are loyal… Rusl. You proved that loyalty tonight. I could not… ask for a better soldier."

"He was loyal, too, although to a different cause. My son. I'm proud of him, even now."

"Rusl… It is… their fault. They forced you to kill him. They m-made him a traitor." She was beginning to lose the ability even to speak, as the golden light spread and intensified, pouring out of her very skin. "Link. He is the d-difference. You m-must… stop Link."

"Yes, your Highness," Rusl said once more and, loyal to a fault, he walked calmly out of the room to carry out his orders once more.

* * *

The carriage barrelled down the High Street like a bat out of hell, picking up speed as it zipped past white marble facades. Link could have sworn that there were spans where the wheels went without touching the ground for seconds at a time, before the whole thing slammed onto the cobblestones, bounced, and launched itself into the air once more.

"Can't this bucket go any faster!" Midna screamed at him between loud shouts of excitement. "Come on! When are we gonna start _moving_!" The clatter of the wheels on the stone almost drowned out her voice, even though her face was two feet from his own.

"The High Street runs through the Market District!" Ganondorf shouted at them from where he held on to the other side of the carriage. "After we roll over the uphill part of the bridge we should slow down enough to jump off!"

"Got it!" Link yelled back, and he tightened his grip.

They lurched up and forward sickeningly again, crashing down with an ominous creaking of wood as the carriage bobbed from side to side and bucked back and forth. He risked taking a hand off the wood in order to yank his floppy green hat down more securely on his head and was nearly flung off for his efforts.

Up ahead, the street widened into a vast, empty plaza- the Market District. Almost as soon as he had seen it, they were in it, rolling smoothly now across a wide expanse of flat stone.

The carriage hit the bridge that spanned the river. As it traveled up the shallow arc, it slowed considerably- but Link refrained from letting go, wary of throwing himself far enough to clear the carriage's wheels only to fall into the dark water below.

They sped up again as it rolled down the other side of the bridge and into the second plaza of the Market District, but the speed was only a fraction of their previous breakneck velocity. Still Link waited- and waited-

"Jump! Now!" Ganondorf shouted, but Link had already let go, his warrior's instinct pinpointing the same moment as Ganondorf's. He used his legs to push off from the carriage and throw himself well clear- he tried to roll into the impact with the hard stone, but inevitably, he hit the ground hard, and rolled end over end for a few dizzying moments.

The carriage continued to roll, the rumble of its wheels receding momentarily and then culminating in a cacophonous crash as it plowed into the front of a store called 'Hena's Fishing Gear.'

"Bruised my ass…" Midna moaned, picking herself up.

Link was already standing, surveying the market at nighttime. It was eerie to see what was normally a bright and bustling place so dark and silent, the wide and open spaces so very empty.

Except the Market District was not empty.

Link narrowed his eyes, trying to discern the dark shape from the darkness of the night. As far as he could tell, it was… a wolf, sitting on its haunches and watching them calmly from the far end of the square.

"Guys…? I think you should take a look at this."

There was something about the wolf that told him it was no ordinary dog. Perhaps it was the fact that it was so very _black_, or the harsh contrast that the brightness of its eyes provided, or that, even at this distance, he could clearly make out every gleaming white fang in the beast's mouth.

"Oh… Oh, no…"

It continued to sit there. Just watching. For now.

"What do we do?" Ashei asked, her voice high with sudden panic. "Ganondorf! What do we do!"

"Calm down," Ganondorf said evenly.

"We throwing hands?" Midna asked.

"Get back across the bridge," Ganondorf ordered. "Let's see if we can go back the way we came, and then we need to get inside. Then, we can-"

He was interrupted by an all too familiar sound. For an instant, Link thought that the rattle of the carriage wheels was the noise of their former transport returned to terrorize them once more from beyond the grave- but it turned out to be much worse.

Two carriages teeming with soldiers flew down the high street, Vaati and Zant at the reins of each. There were no horses- they moved along seemingly self-propelled, driven by the urgings of the two mages.

"Oh yeah, we're throwing hands," Midna confirmed.

Link recognized the bloodstained uniform of Commandant Rusl, his cape billowing behind him as he crouched atop one of the speeding vehicles.

One of the carriages slewed wildy to the side as the men on board leapt off. It burst into bright hissing blue flames and rolled over, flipping end over end and headed directly for them.

Link took two quick steps and hurled himself clear of the flaming hulk. He heard a loud, metallic _clank_ and a grunt of pain as it clipped Ganondorf before finally settling on its side.

"Gods damn it all-" Ganondorf began, before the carriage exploded.

For a brief instant, the Market District was illuminated in bright colors- orange, blue, purple, green- as magical flames spewed forth and shrapnel whistled by Link's head.

The light faded and, at the same time the soldiers began their charge, the beast that had been waiting for them did the same.

Link saw Rusl sprinting straight for him, drawing his gilded sword still blackened with the blood of his son. As he reflexively reached for his own blade, he realized that he had been unarmed ever since he had stabbed Zelda in the side.

"Uh… guys?" he said.

There was a burst of crackling energy that hissed off the cobblestones as lightning poured from Ganondorf's hands and into the charging soldiers. The harsh _snap_ of electrical discharge intensified as Vaati met the attack with his own, and for an instant the two wizards duelled fiercely, light dancing wildly between them.

Link did the one thing he knew Rusl would not expect and ran forward to meet the Commandant. The tactic earned him a surprised overhand slash that Link was able to easily maneuver underneath, seizing Rusl's arms and wrestling desperately with him over the sword.

They were both bowled off their feet suddenly, the blade clattering out of reach. Link's eyes met with Rusl's, and then they both looked downwards.

Tendrils of shadow were wrapping themselves around their feet, snaking up past their boots and towards knees and thighs. A hulking, deformed mass of darkness rose up between the two, a hundred slavering jaws snapping wildly, a thousand piercing yellow eyes snapping open and focusing on them.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rusl throw himself towards his fallen weapon, but he did not know if he was able to reach it. Link flipped himself onto his stomach and seized the closest thing at hand- the ankles of another soldier.

The man struggled briefly, and then turned and saw the horror of the Nameless writhing behind him. Link took advantage of his moment of blind panic to seize the sword in his limp hands, and he immediately turned and slashed at the shadowy appendages that bound him.

The beast roared in pain- or perhaps just annoyance, and released it hold on him. Link scrambled to his feet just in time, throwing himself out of the monster's path.

The battle had almost immediately degenerated into complete and utter chaos. Soldiers screamed loudly and slashed out at the Nameless, at the Gerudo, shoving each other into the path of those pristinely white jaws, anything to avoid the living nightmare.

One soldier fell and was not able to get up in time, and it was in that instant that the beast turned into something truly horrific, easily the most hideous thing Link had ever seen.

The great shadowy limps splintered and wavered and were transformed into thousands of tiny clutching hands, arms, wildly kicking legs, beating wings, writhing tails. The teeth in the creatures' great jaw, the shining eyes in its black head, they fractured and divided until each one was a face, screaming soundlessly, an infinite number of Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, Rito, and many more Link did not recognize, screaming forever in soundless agony.

This terror rose up and came down upon the man trying in vain to shield himself from it, and his own limbs, his body, his face joined the countless others there to thrash forever in anguish.

"HER!" a voice screeched above the cacophony, "KILL HER!"

It was Zant, his mind more broken now than ever, flinging death from his hands at anything that moved and screaming at the Nameless, ordering it.

"OBEY ME!"

Midna was there, suddenly, the fire from her hands rising, but weaker somehow, no longer an inferno indistinguishable from the incandescent locks atop her head.

The beast loomed again, charged, and he saw them no more.

Link focused desperately on staying alive. He saw Rusl once again, rising from his knees, a cut opened high on his forehead, golden sword wheeling about furiously to strike at the monster that seemed to be everywhere-

Something big and heavy hit him in the back, wrapped an arm around him, and pulled him away. It was Ganondorf.

"Run!"

"What about-"

"Just go! Now!" Ganondorf raised a fist high in the air and brought it crashing down to the ground; the entire market district shuddered and cracked as the stone rose up and shattered beneath their feet.

Link turned and ran, Ganondorf loping along behind him on long legs. He fell back and let the Gerudo leader show the way, weaving his way through the side streets ad narrow alleyways that bordered the Market District.

Ashei and Midna were nowhere to be seen. Link had no idea and no way of determining whether they, too had fled, or if they had died in the chaos. The sounds of the battle faded as they turned another corner, putting as much distance as possible between them and the Nameless.

It took Link a few moments to realize where they were headed, but he recognized the shabby buildings and twisted streets from his first terrifying encounter with the beast. Within minutes, Link and Ganondorf were standing in the small circle of torchlight at the front door of Telma's bar.

Ganondorf pounded three times on the door. When there was no answer, he knocked again, this time shouting, "For Goddess' sakes, Telma, open the door!"

The innkeeper's face appeared in the gap between door and fame. "Ganondorf! Oh, come in, hurry!"

They hustled themselves inside, and Telma shut the door quickly behind them, bolting it no less than three times. "What the hell are you two doing out at night!"

"It was a raid," Ganondorf explained, "Zelda set traps for us. She wanted to kill us all, we only just escaped." He was panting for breath and clutching his ribs. Blood seeped through his fingers.

"Oh my." Telma's face went pale. "You're lucky that you didn't run into that monster out there."

"As a matter of fact," Link said, "we did. Again."

Telma gasped. "You need a drink!"

Unlike the first night he had been there, the inn was completely empty, with no hint of the regular clientele. Still, a fire flickered warmly in the hearth and the smell of Telma's cooking saturated the air.

"Don't let anybody else in, Telma," Ganondorf said, taking a seat at a table near the door. "No matter who they say they are."

Link sat across from him. "You think Ashei and Midna made it out alright?"

"I don't know," Ganondorf said. "We can only hope."

Presently Telma set two large, steaming mugs down at their table. Link picked up his and eyed it warily. "Is this…?" He tasted it. "Tea and whiskey?"

"It's the best thing for a body after a terrible shock like you boys have had. Drink up." She prodded him until he had another reluctant sip.

Ganondorf took a long drink from his mug. "Leave us, Telma."

She seemed hesitant to obey, glancing towards the bolted door and the night beyond.

"We will keep watch," he reassured her. "Go and sleep. We'll be fine."

She left without any further questions, but stopped at the foot of the stairs. "You feel free to wake me if you need anything."

Ganondorf raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Thank you for all your help, Telma. And for the drinks. Now, please let us be."

When she had gone, Link set down his mug and hopped behind the bar, shuffling through the bottles underneath. "That stuff is disgusting," he said.

"It is somewhat of an acquired taste, I will concede," Ganondorf replied.

Link held up two bottles of beer. "You want one?"

"I am fine, thank you."

He shrugged and kept them both for himself. Settling back into his chair, he felt the adrenaline and fear of the night's exertions beginning to run out of him. His hands shook slightly in front of his eyes as he came down from the combat high, and his breathing finally began to slow. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

Ganondorf thought for a moment. "I don't know. For a very long time, Zelda has been quite content to rule from above while I struggled in futility below her. The fact that she has made such an aggressive move is… troubling."

"Troubling?" Link said. "It's a bit more than that. The Gerudo are finished, Ganondorf. We could be the only two left alive. Viscen betrayed us, Colin is dead, and to be honest, Midna and Ashei are probably dead, too."

"Much has changed," Ganondorf took another sip, the steam wafting off the concoction to swirl about his head. "But we are far from finished. I constructed the organization to withstand blows such as this. Zelda destroyed one cell tonight, true, but the Gerudo are comprised of nearly a hundred similar groups, hidden all throughout the city. Nobody knows the true extent of the Gerudo, save myself. We will rise again."

"And she will strike you down again, Ganondorf. Zelda is obviously not content to take a passive role in things anymore."

He nodded, shifting in his seat. Ganondorf grunted in pain, clutching his side with his free hand suddenly. Beneath his palm was the wound in his side that had been inflicted by the exploding cart.

"You're bleeding," Link said.

Laughter. "Don't you worry about me, I'll pull through."

"No, no, that's not it. When Colin stabbed Zelda, and later, when I cut her, she didn't even bleed. It was like stabbing a mannequin. But you're just as old as she is, so how is it that you can bleed?"

Now Ganondorf was completely serious. "That," he said, "Is by far the most troubling revelation of this very troubling evening."

"How do you mean?" Link twisted open one of the bottles and took a drink. It was dark and strong, much more refreshing than Telma's miracle cure.

"Because it means that she really is immortal. If you picked up my sword and ran me through, right now, the way Colin stabbed Zelda, I would die. My magic is strong, but not strong enough for an injury like that."

"When he stabbed her, it was like… she couldn't function properly. She was still alive, but not all there, at least not immediately."

"That would be the magic required to sustain herself after an injury like that. It must take a terrible toll on a body- on a mind, too." He finished his drink and gestured towards Link's untouched mug. When Link shook his head, Ganondorf grabbed it and continued drinking. "She has obviously found another way to keep herself alive."

"And what might that be."

"I have no idea," he admitted. "She has gone quite mad. Perhaps the blessing of Wisdom had proven too much for her. But it has also made her dangerous- in the throne room, it seemed to me that she believed herself to be a god."

Link did not think this pronouncement as blasphemous as Ganondorf seemed to. Because there had been an instant, when the three had met, that an overwhelming power and sense of purpose had flowed through him. It was like nothing he had ever imagined, and he knew that it had touched Zelda and Ganondorf as well. And if that had not been the power of the gods, he did not know what was.

"She was not always like this," Ganondorf said dolefully. "Zelda was once a kind and benevolent ruler, someone who truly was blessed with wisdom. She was once my dear friend… And in many ways she still is."

"What happened?" Link asked. "How did she become that… monster, sequestered up in those towers?"

"I can't really say what happened to her," Ganondorf took a long draught, the strength of the brew showing itself briefly on his face. He finished the last of the drink Telma had prepared. "You know, Link, I think I will take you up on that offer."

Link stood and made his way over behind the counter again, returning with more bottles.

"My old friend…" Ganondorf mused. "I wish there was another way to make things right. I really do. But we have to find a way to kill her, Link, because I believe that is the only way we can help her."

"How do you mean?" Link cracked two and handed one to Ganondorf before pulling deeply from his own. His thoughts strayed to Colin, to Rusl, to the traitorous Viscen and the missing Midna and Ashei. He drank some more, trying to dull his memories of the evening.

Ganondorf began to speak "The three Creator Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru, shaped the world at the beginning of time. When they had finished, they left remnants of their power on the mortal plane- Din's was the gift of Power."

His hand twitched absentmindedly.

"Farore's was the gift of Courage,"

Link's eyes strayed to his own hand, wrapped around a cold bottle.

"And Nayru's was the gift of Wisdom. The Goddesses departed for the realm of the Gods, and from the people they had created they each selected a champion. Now, I don't remember much of my early life- sometimes I doubt that I even had one. But for as long as I can remember, I have known the Princess Zelda…"

As the night deepened outside, and the Nameless continued to prowl the now-empty streets of Hyrule, a restless wind blew from the north, howling against the old stone buildings and the crisscrossing alleyways and rattling the boarded windows of Telma's tavern.

* * *

One executive decision I made here was to have the entire chapter as one long take, entirely from Link's point of view and with no breaks. However, I wasn't able to stick to that structure because it was important that I include that brief interlude between Zelda and Rusl. We'll be seeing a lot more of Rusl soon, as his story is not yet finished, but Zelda will not make a major appearance for a little while. You'll see why in the next chapter, although that one does also include a bit of explanation regarding the history between her and Ganondorf.

As always, thanks for reading. If you've got questions, fire away and I'll do my best to answer them- but I will not be spoiling the story. I've had some people ask me stuff like that.


	14. Chapter 14

October is absolutely the best time of year. Baseball playoffs, football season really gets into the swing of things, basketball starts, and best of all, hockey is back.

* * *

14

Ganondorf Tells a Story (Part 1). Woodfall Avenue. A Second Chance.

_

* * *

_

_What man can recall his own birth? The illumination of memory only pierces so far into the darkened haze of the past._

_Ganondorf cannot remember meeting Zelda in the same way that a man does not recall his infancy. He cannot recall a time when he did not know her, is not even sure that there was a time when he did not know her._

_But he does remember a time before the city._

_In that time, Hyrule was a kingdom, spanning from the mountains in the distant north to the sea in the south, with settlements scattered along the river Hylia. The river was the lifeblood of the kingdom, a central artery for travel, trade, and sustenance._

_But it was a kingdom divided. The rock-like Goron people inhabited the foothills and caverns of the mountains and never saw the feathery Rito that dwelled high among the peaks. The Zora populated the rivers and lakes and streams, never once glimpsing the Kokiri of the forests the water nourished._

_And the Gerudo nomads roamed the plains, rarely venturing into the cities of the Hylians. _

_The wind was brisk the day Ganondorf rode into Hyrule Castle Town. It blew in from over the flatlands, carrying a dry heat with it. Above the thatched roofs and cracked streets, the banners perched on the castle's spires flapped briskly in the wind. Ganondorf spared them a moment's glance, looking at the towers and battlements of Zelda's castle, completed only in the last year- or was it ten? Or a hundred?_

"_Ganondorf." Zelda's greeting was perfunctory. Chill. As always. "My old friend. It is rare to see any of your people in our cities these days. What brings you to my castle?"_

_The Gerudo King stepped forward, and the two shared a brief embrace. "Business can wait, I think. How do I find you today, Zelda?"_

_She gestured towards the many papers strewn about her study, mostly written in her own hand. The writing was hasty, nearly illegible, and littered with symbols and crude drawings, as if she had written with great haste. "You find me illuminated, my friend. The gods have smiled upon me- more than that. They have sent me one of their own, a messenger, to reveal some of our destiny."_

"_Destiny?" Ganondorf took a seat. "You are, of course, referring to our… gift?" The golden insignia on the back of his hand shone dully._

"_Yes. The gift of life- of the wisdom and power that we two share." A servant disturbed them briefly with food and wine. Ganondorf drank, and ate, but he Zelda did not. "I feel that we have woefully underestimated just what it means for us to have been blessed so."_

_He sipped at his wine. "Underestimated? I find that unlikely. You mentioned a messenger from the gods?"_

"_Yes," she repeated, "The gods are real, Ganondorf. They are tangible. They live among us. I saw proof of this not a fortnight ago."_

"_One of the Creators?" A chill ran down Ganondorf's spine. "You spoke with one of the Creators?"_

"_No," Zelda said this time. "Like I said, a messenger, or a servant. A lesser god. He appeared to me in the guise of a laughing man, a smiling trickster. And he told me things. About myself, and about you."_

"_Pardon me if I remain sceptical," he chuckled._

_Zelda's countenance darkened. "You are free to mock me, but do not mock the gods. The mark that you and I share- it is the mark of the Gods. Of the Creators. We are blessed with their power."_

_Ganondorf had long ago figured that he remained alive only through the gods' will. He could remember the time when it seemed that he and Zelda were the only people in the world, long before Hyrule grew to become the modest kingdom it was today. But to outright claim to wield the power of the gods- it was outrageous arrogance._

"_Zelda," he said, "You and I are blessed, undoubtedly, to live so long and wield such might. But to claim that the Creators themselves-"_

"_Who else? Who else would have graced us? Us- King of the Gerudo, Queen of Hyrule. But that's not all."_

"_Oh?" He had had quite enough of these delusions of grandeur. "What else did this divine messenger share with you, Your Highness?"_

_His use of honorifics did not go unnoticed. Nonetheless, she continued. "There are three Creators. But only two of us."_

"_So one is a tiebreaker?" he asked._

_Now she ignored him. "There is a third. Another who is chosen by the Gods."_

"_Someone else like us. Ageless."_

"_There must be. If there are three Creators, then it follows that there must be three heroes who bear their power."_

"_Perhaps, Zelda, the fact that there are only two of us disproves your theory," he oferred._

_A slight frown creased her brow. "No, the Gods have chosen us. I know it."_

_Ganondorf finished his meal and stood. "An interesting theory, Zelda. But nothing more. I came here today on behalf of my people."_

"_People?" Zelda asked, absentmindedly, and then something clicked in her mind. "Oh, yes. The Gerudo. What of them?"_

_He strode to one of the castle windows and looked out over the city. It was a modest town, with a small population that struggled to get by. Ganondorf knew what he was asking for would be a stretch. "As I'm sure you know, the plains on the other side of the river have been struck by a drought recently. Streams and lakebeds have dried up, the wildlife has disappeared, and we struggle to find sustenance."_

_She nodded, but her eyes were already straying back to the papers on her desk. He could see circles and runes, intricate designs of powerful magic. What was she trying to discover?_

_He went on. "I know that your people are far from prosperous, but I come to you truly in a time of need. My people will die without your help, Zelda."_

"_What would you have me do?"_

"_Take us in." He bowed, low, not an act of subjugation so much as one of insistence. "The Gerudo will die without your charity, Zelda, I am certain of it. Please."_

_Her face was dispassionate for a moment. "Get up. Do not bow before me, Ganondorf."_

"_Well?"_

"_I'm sorry," she said, but it sounded like a formality more than any sincere apology. "I'm afraid that's not possible."_

"_What?" She had never refused him a favour before, just as he had never refused her._

"_My grip on this nation has been… tenuous as of late. Several of the colonies upstream have been resisting my rule, wanting me to take less and provide more. The Zoras are beginning to demand restitution for us fishing their rivers, just as the Gorons protest us mining more and more of their rivers. My kingdom is spiralling out of my control, and I am finding that I cannot keep all my subjects under my thumb."_

"_So what, then?" he asked. "You want us to pay you? We are nomads. We have nothing."_

"_I will not risk losing my power, Ganondorf. The gods created us to be rulers, and rule we must. My control must remain absolute."_

"_Do your rule for your people, or for your power, Zelda?"_

"_I need both," she said. "I do not expect you to understand, but one day I think you will."_

_He turned to leave. "Excuse me, then. I must go and devise another solution to save the lives of my people."_

_Zelda offered him these parting words. "In one hundred years, Ganondorf, every single one of those people will be dead. As will every single one of my people. There will be new citizens to rule, always, but you and I will still be here."_

"_It's a sad thing that you've become."_

_Disgusted, Ganondorf swept from the room._

* * *

The next morning, an extremely apologetic Link and Ganondorf explained to Telma that they had no money to offer for the night's stay- even though the barmaid was insistent that they accept her charity without protest, for once. After much apologising, by both parties, they were on their way.

"But the Hyrule you described-" Link began.

"Yes?" Ganondorf asked.

"It didn't sound like this at all. It sounded almost like you were talking about a small town, or a settlement. Not Hyrule City."

"I was. The citizens of Hyrule used to be spread across the land, but now they are congregated together, where she can keep an eye on them. And Hyrule Castle itself? Far from the monstrosity that towers above us right now."

The story that Ganondorf had shared with him last night had given Link much to think about. For starters, the fact that Ganondorf and Zelda had known about the power of the Triforce within them for centuries- and they had also known that he would come along to complete the trio.

He knew better know than to take everything Ganondorf said at face value, but he felt that the Gerudo leader had been mostly honest in the things he had said. It was the things he hadn't said that worried him.

"So," Link said, "When are you going to finish your story? You didn't really answer too many of my questions."

"I'm not pretending that's the end of the story," Ganondorf responded, tersely. "But it is important. I believe… I believe that was the beginning of Zelda's madness. The moment when she first seemed… off. I don't know if I can really call it insanity, but for certain she was a changed person after that."

"Hey, where are we going?" Link interrupted, as they turned down a street he had never been before. The signpost read 'Woodfall Avenue.'

"Not back to the Spirit Temple," Ganondorf said. "Zelda has made a concerted effort to have us killed. The first aggressive move she's made in honestly maybe a thousand years. No, it would be suicide to go back there now."

"So where, then?"

"There are many more members of the Gerudo, many more places to hide," he said. "So, where was I?"

"Zelda."

"Oh, yes. The reason I told you that story, Link, is that I honestly can't make heads or tails of it. But my vision is clouded, by age and by… other things. I'm hoping you'll be able to see something in these memories that I cannot."

"So when do I hear the rest?"

"Soon." They stopped. "Here we are."

They stood outside a blacksmith's. Handmade weapons hung in the shop window, and painted on the glass were the words _Eddo's Smithy- Finest in all of Hyrule._

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside. A small, bald man behind the counter looked up through his glasses as they entered, and almost immediately leapt to his feet.

"Sir!"

"In the back, Eddo."

"Of course."

Link flipped the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed.'

They followed Eddo through a doorway behind the counter, and from there down a flight of stairs. The flickering light of a forge illuminated the large room below- there was an enormous man silhouetted by the light of the flames.

The man turned, revealing white hair that framed his face and skin that was a burnished brown and seemed to be made of stone. He was not a man at all, but a Goron.

"Darmani," Ganondorf said, as a greeting.

"Boss," the Goron responded. "That'll be Link, then," he nodded.

"How do you know that?" Link asked, suddenly wary.

Darmani's rocky face contorted itself into a knowing smile. "We had a guest drop in on us who said you two might show up here."

"And who was that?"

Their question was answered for them when a woman stepped out from the shadows, her hair just as red as the forge's flames.

"Though I was dead, didn't you?" Midna asked.

"There was always hope," Ganondorf said in return, stepping forward to rest a hand on her shoulder- the closest thing Link had ever seen from the man to an actual physical display of affection.

"Hang on," Eddo interrupted, "I'll get the other two. It's early yet, they might still be asleep." And he disappeared into yet another back room.

"How did you survive?" Link asked her as she stepped away from Ganondorf and embraced him briefly.

"The Nameless, actually," she said. She gestured towards her still-voluptuous body, which Link had not failed to notice. "I've lost the magic of the Shadow. There was no way I could have gotten out of that fight with Zant, except the Nameless saved me when it attacked him."

"Zant's dead?"

She scowled. "I won't believe it until I see his corpse with my own eyes. He's too wily to be killed by that beast- although there was something odd that happened…"

Ganondorf was suddenly attentive. "What was it?"

"Well… the way Zant was shouting at that thing. It was almost as if he believed he could _control_ it. Not that it did him a lot of good, though."

"Hm." Ganondorf rubbed at his beard, thinking.

Darmani the Goron suddenly had one of his huge hands on top of Midna's head, ruffling her hair affectionately- to her obvious distress. "Little Midna here shows up at our door, in the middle of the night, and imagine my surprise when I find out she's not so little anymore! But the things she tells me- is it true? Is Zelda really trying to have us wiped out?"

"I don't think it's the Gerudo she's after," Ganondorf said, "so much as a few specific members of the Gerudo. Which is why we cannot stay long."

"What's this?" said a voice, "Can't stay long?"

Two bearded men had just walked into the room behind Eddo. One was big, and burly, with wiry black hair. The other, the one who had spoke, was an almost bald old man with a long, white beard. Despite his age, the old man carried himself well- his confident steps and wiry frame told Link that he had seen his fair share of battle.

"Not while they are looking for us," Ganondorf said. But I think we can spare time for introductions. This is our newest member, Link."

The old man bowed. "You have the look of a warrior about you, boy. I am Orca, the sword master. I see you have already met Eddo and Darmani, our craftsmen."

Orca nudged the burly man behind him. "I am Error," he said, after much prodding.

After a brief pause, Eddo explained. "He doesn't talk much."

"Excellent." Ganondorf clapped his hands. A rare look of anticipation came over his face. "Now that introductions are out of the way, let's talk about weapons."

* * *

Link was stunned speechless by the plethora of pointy metal objects that were on hand beneath the blacksmith's shop, although in retrospect he supposed that he shouldn't have been so surprised.

"The Woodfall cell of the Gerudo," Darmani proudly explained, "Outfits and trains the entire organization. Orca might not look it, but he is a master swordsman. Why, I think that the only man I've seen who could best him in a straight-up duel was Viscen!"

Orca nodded sadly. "It saddens me to hear of his betrayal. Although he was the one who inspired me to take up the spear, he was truly a master of the blade. Beyond all others."

"Let's hope that's not true," Link said darkly, picking up a hunting knife and testing the edge.

The old man watched Link sort through several blades before speaking again, "When Viscen and I were both young, I challenged him to a duel. I was a soldier, too, and I envied him for his role as the Gerudo's informant within Zelda's castle. As the challenged party, he had the choice of weapons. I taunted him, called him a coward. 'The blade is the true tool of a warrior,' I said to him, 'Any other weapon is a pale imitation.' But he surprised me. He chose to fight me sword to sword."

Link set down the dagger he had been examining. "What happened?"

"I was embarrassed," Orca said. "He chose to humiliate me rather than honour me with a proper battle. As a punishment for my arrogance. He disarmed me, struck me with the flat of his blade, drove me into a rage. Viscen triumphed over me because I was unbalanced in my emotions, while he had the discipline of a soldier. I picked up a spear that day, and have used it ever since, as a reminder of the lesson I learned when I was a young man."

Link's face betrayed no emotion as he continued examining the hardware. "And what lesson would that be?"

"Treat every opponent as a worthy one. Fight every battle with honour. And do not underestimate your foe."

"Leave your clothing here," Ganondorf was saying, unbuckling his black plate mail. "It stands out too much. Dress for travel. Nothing that you can't carry all day long."

"I have not worn actual clothes in, like, forever," Midna was saying as she pulled on a pair of boots. "This feels so weird."

Link swapped his own chainmail and green tunic for a leather jerkin and worn travelling cloak. For weapons he chose the knife he had been looking at and, after some hesitation, a bow.

"You know how to use that thing?" Midna asked. She was in the process of trying on another ridiculous-looking hat, possibly as a replacement for the one she had lost. It looked like she was wearing a bizarre skeleton on her head.

"How hard can it be?" Seized by a sudden bout of recklessness, he swept the hat off her head and tossed it in the air. With one fluid motion, he reached into the quiver on his shoulder, nocked an arrow, drew back the bowstring, and released.

The arrow pierced the strange headgear in midair and pinned it to the wall.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Easy." he smirked.

Ganondorf prodded him in the back with a long wooden quarterstaff. "Careful."

Out of the corner of his eye Link noticed Orca watching him with an oddly perceptive look on his face. Link acknowledged Ganondorf with a minute nod.

Midna twirled a rapier clumsily. "So, how does this thing work? Stick 'em with this end, hold on to this end, right? This is easy."

"Time to go," Ganondorf said.

* * *

As morning turned to afternoon, three figures in dusty traveling clothes mingled with the crowds that thronged the narrow streets of Hyrule.

"You don't know what happened to Ashei, do you?" Link asked.

Midna shook her head, hidden beneath the hood that was protecting her sensitive skin from the sun. "I was barely able to get out of there alive. I hope she did too."

As they crossed one of many bridges that spanned dark city streets further below, Link gazed down into a hole in the city's sprawl, a gap that eventually receded only into darkness. He wondered if that was Ashei's ultimate fate, to be dragged down into the dark by the shapeless beast that shunned the light.

"So where are we going?" Midna chaged the subject.

"I've left instructions with the Woodfall cell of the Gerudo," Ganondorf said, "And they will take those instructions to the others scattered around the city. I'm having them strike at the city's banks, create a little bit of trouble for Zelda that will hopefully divert some attention away from us."

"Yes, but where are we going?"

Ganondorf continued, "But it's too dangerous for us personally to show our faces right now. Zelda hasn't been rational for a very long time, but since you showed up, Link, she has been acting very oddly indeed. It won't be very long before she makes a mistake. And we can capitalize on that."

"Yes, but you still haven't answered my question."

Ganondorf stopped and turned to face her. "I'm beginning to regret the fact that you aren't actually dead."

"Yes, but-"

"We need to hide, Midna. Somewhere where Zelda's gaze does not reach. No place in Hyrule is safe."

"Well if no place in Hyrule is safe, then just where do you think- oh."

They rounded a corner and suddenly found themselves in the middle of a busy thoroughfare. Carts rattled by on the wide street in front of them, farmers bound into Hyrule to sell their crops at market. At the far end of the street was the massive wall that ringed the city, and one of many gates that led out into the plains beyond.

"We're leaving the city?" Midna said, a bit incredulously.

"We have no choice," Ganondorf said. "If we are in Hyrule, Zelda will find us."

"Are you kidding me? This city is so big, we could hide for _years_ if we wanted."

"No," Link agreed with Ganondorf. "If Zelda wants to find us, she will. He's right. Hyrule is not safe."

Midna shot him a look, and then drew her hood further over her face, stepping forward into the flow of people heading towards the gate out of the city. "Fine. Whatever. I don't care. Where are we going?"

Ganondorf split the sea of people with his massive frame, and Link and Midna fell into step beside him. "North. I know somebody there who may be able to help us."

"Help us?" Link repeated. "With what, exactly?"

"Yeah," Midna said, "There's a lot that we could use help with right about now."

"You will see," was the only explanation that Ganondorf offered.

They passed through the gate and into the shade of the stone tunnel that ran through the city wall. Midna's eyes still glowed luminescent in the dark, but it was a pale, wan light. "I've never been outside Hyrule before."

"It's like… a weight is lifted from your shoulders," Ganondorf said. "The city is oppressive. It saps your life from you- in more ways than one."

Link spared a glance back towards the receding arc of light that was the entrance to Hyrule City. Ganondorf had told him earlier about how Hyrule had been a nation, and the castle town had been a simple village. Now it was a hulking, infinite edifice that sank its claws into you, drawing you deeper and deeper into its stony jaws.

The city felt alive. It felt like a malicious spirit that lurked just out of sight, out of mind, but haunted your shadows, waiting. What had happened to Hyrule to change it into this?

What had happened to Zelda?

The three of them stepped out of the tunnel and into the sunlight, taking their first steps across bridge that spanned the river below and leaving the city of Hyrule behind them.

* * *

"I am waiting, Rusl. Why have you requested this audience?"

The Commandant remained prone, forehead pressed to the polished marble tiles. No evidence remained in the throne room of the chaos that had occurred the night before, but plenty of evidence remained with Rusl.

He seemed to have aged overnight, with lines on his face and grey in his hair where there had been none the day before. His face was filthy, washed clean of grime only where channels of sweat had run down it. The blood of his own son still stained his armour.

He summoned the will to speak. "Your Highness… I wish to apologize for my failure. I allowed you to be personally harmed because of my own hesitation. I failed to carry out your orders. I allowed Link to live."

Zelda's expression betrayed no emotion. Garbed once again in the opulent gown of her office, she was akin to the throne room in that she bore visible sign of what had happened the night before. She had been restored to perfect health.

"Stand, Rusl."

He stood, and Zelda did also. She stepped down from her throne and stood in front of him, looking up- he was taller than her.

"You did well. I could not ask for a more loyal soldier. You are only human, Rusl, and I would be a poor ruler if I did not understand that."

"If I may, Your Highness… a request?"

Now she smiled. "I have told you before. You may call me by name."

He nodded. "Zelda. Please. Give me a chance to make amends. Allow me to redeem myself. I will hunt down the Gerudo and destroy them, I swear it."

The princess retreated to her throne and sat. Rusl's voice echoed in the cavernous throne room for a few moments before it faded into silence. "I may have acted rashly," she said.

Rusl, not understanding what she meant, pressed on. "I know that I alone cannot succeed. But hear me out. I will take twenty of my best men, and my own teacher, still the greatest swordsman Hyrule has ever known, and together we will hunt them. Together we shall prevail."

Zelda explained further. "You misunderstand me. Ganondorf, Link, and myself are individuals who are… gifted with a strange and powerful magic. When the three of us met for the first time here, last night, this power overwhelmed me, caused me to act in a way that was not entirely rational. I think now that I may have erred when I asked you to kill Link."

"Princess Zelda," he said, and now there was emotion in his voice. "The Gerudo are a threat to our citizens, terrorists who undermine your own authority and spread lies and sedition. They have killed countless numbers of our own men, caused incalculable amounts of damage to our city, and murdered several of our highest-ranking citizens. They… they took my son from me. Please. Give me another chance to end it, once and for all."

"Yes," Zelda nodded, but spoke quietly, Rusl almost didn't hear her. "Yes, of course. You have permission to do so, Rusl. Maybe I have made another mistake- but I wouldn't expect you to understand. You are, after all, only human."

* * *

Ganondorf's story in this chapter doesn't tell us too much by itself- but it is significant if you want to understand some of the most important events that are going to unfold. Also, a bit of key illumination into the characters of Zelda and Ganondorf, neither of whom are completely innocent. I was originally going to devote this entire chapter to Ganondorf's flashback, but it was far too long and broke up the flow of the plot too much. I have divided it into sections that will be revealed as Link, Ganondorf, and Midna travel northwards. Who _was_ Ganondorf talking about?


	15. Chapter 15

It has been far too long since I released a new chapter. I have a bit of a confession to make- with all the hype about the Deathly Hallows film, I got kind of caught up and have been working on a Harry Potter fanfiction, at the expense of this one.

But I wanted to show everybody who reads, favorites, and reviews my stories how much I appreciate them, so I stayed up a little bit to get this ready to go, as a little Christmas gift. Merry Christmas, here's hoping it's a good one.

* * *

15

Cremia's Visitors. Night Watch. Questions Asked and Answered.

* * *

The fairy bobbed up and down, luminescent in the afternoon light, fluttering around the farmhouse's kitchen. Sitting in one of the handmade wooden chairs at the kitchen table, her feet not touching the ground, was a wispy girl, by appearances no more than ten years old. Her hair and clothing were mottled green, almost indistinguishable from plant matter, and her round face was speckled with dirt. She looked woefully out of place in the neatly arranged kitchen.

Cremia sat down across from her, setting down a simple farmhand's lunch as she did so. "Would you like me to get you something, Saria?"

The girl shook her head. "No thank you, Cremia. The fairy folk are sustained by the forest."

"Just being polite. So what brings you out of said forest, anyhow?"

Saria's fairy finally tired of flitting about and settled onto the girl's shoulder. Cremia knew that although Saria seemed to be a child, the forest sprite was likely several times her own age.

"There have been odd-goings on within the city. Something has changed. The balance that has existed there for aeons has tipped. In which direction, I cannot say."

Cremia spared a glance towards one of the windows. Through the glass she could see her own fields, where her sister Romani was practising her archery. Beyond that, the grey edifice of the city dominated the horizon, towering even over the distant mountains. "Still, why do you care? It's not like the forest people to pay attention to… well, anything outside of the forest, really."

"I don't know," Saria said. "The Great Fairy wishes me to tell you this. She says that the reason for doing so will become apparent in time."

"In time?" Cremia repeated. "What does that mean?"

Saria turned to look out the window as well. "I think you are about to find out."

Cremia followed her gaze. There, strolling across the fields towards the farmhouse, were three people. They were still quite a distance away, and she could only make out their silhouettes: A lean, athletic man; an abnormally tall woman with red hair that shone even at this distance; and an unmistakable, hulking figure that had poorly attempted to disguise himself with a set of travelling clothes.

She stood from her meal and walked across the room, stepping out the side door. "Romani!" she called.

Romani turned, bow falling to her side.

"Inside!"

The girl obeyed wordlessly, hurrying over to her big sister. As she went inside the farmhouse, she passed Saria on her way out. "Hello Saria!" Romani said cheerfully.

The forest sprite, who had been rather wooden throughout her conversation with Cremia, responded in kind. "Hi there, Romani!" Saria said with a bright smile that was reserved only for children. Cremia knew, having seen that smile many times when she had been a little girl.

When Romani had gone, Saria returned her attention to Cremia. "The Great Fairy and the Great Deku Tree have given them permission to travel in their forest. They wish you to convey the message."

"I'll see what I can do," Cremia said wryly, watching the tall woman's sour reaction upon stepping in a particularly fresh patch of fertilizer.

* * *

"This sucks." Midna grumbled, scraping her shoe against a fence post. "Nature sucks. Walking sucks. I wish I could fly again."

"Why don't you?" Link asked. "You never really explained to me why you look like that all of a sudden."

Midna stopped herself mid-scrape and gave him a blank stare. "Hm. Well, no harm in telling you, I guess."

"So tell."

"… As a member of the Twili people, I was an adept shadow mage. Good enough to realize that I wasn't good enough. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. The darkness beneath Hyrule runs deep, and it is no ordinary darkness. There is a power there, something beyond what I can imagine, but I still chose to dabble in it. I was able to harness the true nature of the Shadow, but… at a cost."

"How do you mean?"

She shook her leg in a forlorn way, and then glared at one of Cremia's cows, as if she was certain it was the one who had made the mess she had stepped in. "The power was too much. Way too much. The only way for me to contain it without being torn apart was to make it a part of myself. To fuse it to my very being. You see where I'm going with this?"

He nodded, but motioned for her to continue.

"The magic's corrupting influence changes my physical form. This is actually what I really look like, Link- Zelda stripped me of my fused shadows that night in her throne room. I am normally a very capable mage, but with that magic augmenting my power…" she gave a menacing little laugh, "I will light you up."

"And that doesn't scare you?"

Midna leaned back against the fence. "I don't follow."

"To put yourself under the influence of something so powerful. To depend on it. Aren't you afraid that it will… consume you?"

"I wish," she said. "I saw my people die because I was not strong enough. The other day, the fight between Zant and Vaati and Ganondorf and I, we had to run because the magic I had wasn't strong enough. Colin died, and I couldn't do anything about it. I need to be more powerful- I need to control my own fate. I am sick of my destiny being decided by people more powerful than I am."

Link said nothing. He clenched his fist and once again felt the intoxication of the Triforce's power flowing through him.

"Good news!" Ganondorf shouted, as he stepped out of the farmhouse and walked across the filed towards them. "I made a deal with Cremia. She'll let us buy three of her horses, and we can stay the night at her ranch. If you like, she can make dinner for us, too."

"What do you mean, 'if we like?'" Midna asked.

Ganondorf gave her a friendly punch in the shoulder- still enough to almost knock her over. "There's a lot of work to be done on a ranch. If you don't work, you don't eat."

She turned to Link. "Hey buddy. What are the odds I can talk you into doing my share of work for me?"

"Very low," Link said.

* * *

The sky at night seemed bigger, somehow, without the towering walls of the city obscuring parts of it. The spread of stars across the inky darkness was captivating, and Link found himself staring upwards in admiration before he remembered that Midna was not a patient woman.

His footsteps were quiet against the wet grass, and he moved noiselessly in the night's stillness. Scanning the darkened fields, he quickly spotted the sputtering light of the campfire, and he set out towards it, two steaming mugs in his hands.

There was nobody at the fire. Cautiously alarmed, Link set the drinks down and moved his hand to the hilt of his hunting knife. He wished for a sword.

"Midna?" he whispered.

"What are those drinks?" said a voice behind him.

He turned and drew the knife; Midna stepped out of the darkness and into the firelight. "Easy," she said. "I heard someone coming, and I didn't want to be seen."

"It's just me," Link said. "It's my turn for watch duty. You're done yours."

"Well, I know that now," she bent and picked up one of the mugs. "So what are the drinks?"

"Hot chocolate," he said, taking a seat on a nearby log. "Cremia told me how to make it. It's good."

Midna took a sip. "Any liquor in it?"

"No. It's just chocolate and warm milk."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. "Gods damn it, my back is killing me. Physical labour oughta be reserved for you idiots." She sat down next to him.

Cremia had kept the three of them working all day with work she had been putting off. Midna had painted the farmhouse, while Ganondorf and Link had redug a trench through one of her fields, to keep it from flooding when it rained.

"Do you know where Ganondorf is taking us?" she asked him suddenly.

"No," Link said. "He only said that he knows someone and we need their help."

"Oh," she said, again. "I just thought he might have told you. Ganondorf keeps to himself way too much, but it seems like he tells you things for some reason. Hm."

They sat there, in Cremia's field, the smell of the forest and the well-fertilized soil all around them. Midna leaned in closer to the fire. "Can I ask you something else?"

He nodded.

"I…" She stopped.

"Midna? What is it?"

She stuck her arm out, and reached towards the fire. Before her hand touched the flames, she drew it back, stung. "I felt that. It hurt." She stood- her feet were bare, and they shuffled against the grass. "The ground, the breeze, the cool air. I feel it all. It's so… _different_. I couldn't feel those things before. I thought I did, but I didn't, not really."

Hesitantly, she reached out again, towards him. Her hands brushed against his hair, the skin of his face, the cloth of his hood. "I forgot what it was like. I _like _it."

"Maybe losing the shadow magic was good for you."

She withdrew her hand. Clenched it. A tiny flame blossomed and flickered there. "But the fused shadows, Link. They felt good, too. That power, contained within me… The feeling of it, rushing through my hands… the darkness, against my skin. I could feel the darkness, and it felt _good_."

"You don't have to go back, Midna," he said. "To the way you were."

The fire in her palm went out. "But I need that power. Zant is a madman, like Vaati, like Zelda. We have to stop them. But… I don't know if I can do it unless I have that strength again. I have to be better, stronger…"

"You have me," Link pointed out, "And Ganondorf. The Gerudo. You don't have top do it alone."

She turned, and a hint of the old fire in her eyes returned. "You don't understand!" Midna snapped. "I can't put my life in someone else's hands. I want to control my own fate, carve my own path. I want to be more than a piece in the game Ganondorf is playing."

"So you want me to tell you what to do, Midna? If you're so intent on choosing your own path, then why are you asking me for advice?"

She looked away. "Just tell me this… in my place… what would you do?"

He didn't hesitate in answering. "I would do whatever is necessary to keep more innocent people from dying. To protect the people of Hyrule. If it means the deaths of Zant, or Vaati, or Zelda, then so be it. If it means my own… then still. I would do it."

She smiled. Midna's natural form had a captivating smile, it had a gentle warmth to it that could not have been more different from the menacing sharpness of her impish grin. "I knew you would say that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because it amuses me to see you acting like a big damn hero all the time. One more question."

"Ask."

She finished her hot chocolate and stretched. "If I had the chance to draw upon the shadow once more… to go back to the way I was… would you want me to?"

This time it took Link a moment to think of his answer. "I honestly can't say. It's your decision to make, and I would want you to make it. But I can tell you that you will always be the same Midna to me, no matter what you look like."

She turned away from him, but he could tell she was smiling again. "Well. My watch is done. I'll see you tomorrow, Link."

"Good night, Midna."

She left him alone in the starry darkness of the night. Looking across the plains, he found that he could still see the city, albeit only in silhouette. The velvet blue of the sky was replaced by stolid blackness, and the gilded silver of the stars was replaced by a thousand more pinpricks of fiery gold.

Link drew his hunting knife and tossed it from hand to hand. He felt the weight of it, made a few experimental stabbing motions, and then sheathed it, longing for the familiar weight of a sword at his side.

He continued to feed the fire with the wood that had been left for him, but within a few hours he had run out. He decided to look for firewood at the edge of the forest and was rewarded with several promising looking branches he found lying around.

He dumped an armful of branches at the fireside and tossed a few on top to keep it going before going to look for more. There was plenty, and he had soon made three trips back and forth.

When he returned with a fourth bundle, however, he stopped. There was someone sitting with their back to him, warming themselves by the flames. Had Midna been unable to sleep after all?

And odd sense of déjà vu came over him as he cautiously approached. It was only when he noticed the enormous pack and odd motions of the visitor that he realized who it was.

He drew his knife and lay the cold steel of it against the mask salesman's throat. "Explain. Now."

His grin was as unchanging as ever. "We meet for the third time, Hero. Three is a powerful number, but perhaps true power comes when the pattern of three is broken."

Link did not remove his knife. "I saw you before, in the forest, and again, in the city. Are you following me? What do you want?"

Unfazed, the man merely smiled. "Have you considered the questions I have asked you? Perhaps those are the answers you really need."

Realizing the futility of his threats, Link finally removed the blade. "You talk like we know each other, but I've only ever met you three times."

"Three times three, Hero. What is wisdom? What is power? What is courage?"

"They are three words that I am very interested in, for one thing," Link said. "Tell me who you are."

Although the grin never left the mask salesman's face, he bowed to Link. "It is forbidden."

"Forbidden? By who?"

"By you, O courageous one."

That did not help Link at all. "Look. If you're following me just to be confusing, you've already accomplished that. You can leave."

"Fine. But first, a gift." He turned and shuffled through his enormous backpack briefly, and withdrew a compass made of gold.

"What are these things you're giving to me? They don't make any sense." But still, Link reached out and took the compass. He felt a strange connection to it, somehow, just like the other items he had left behind in Hyrule.

The needle on the compass was pointing straight at the city. He spun the device around, but still it always settled in that same direction.

"What is it pointing at?" he asked.

There was the echoing sound of laughter. He looked up, and the mask salesman had gone.

He examined the golden compass some more before pocketing it. At the very least, it would show him the way back to Hyrule, so he supposed it had more use than the bizarre mask he had been given before.

The night passed uneventfully after that during his watch, the heavy silence only broken by the wind blowing through the trees and the creaking of the old forest.

The moon had long passed its zenith in the sky and was nearing the horizon once more when Ganondorf came out to take his shift.

"We leave with the dawn," he said, sitting across from Link. "Cremia has horses we can take, and we have permission to travel through the forest."

"Permission?" Link asked. He listened to the trees swaying in the wind once more.

"The forest is old, Link, older than Hyrule City itself. And the guardian of the forest is something far greater than you or I."

He looked guiltily at the branches he had scavenged for the fire, hoping that whatever guardian Ganondorf was talking about would forgive him.

"So," he said casually, "Is there any particular reason you haven't told us just where we're headed yet?"

"There is indeed."

"Just remember," Link warned. "I'm following you and Midna now, because I trust you. Give me any reason to doubt you, and I just might be gone."

Ganondorf smiled. The Gerudo leader's smiles very rarely had any humour in them, and this was no exception. "Midna might just leave with you, Link. She has taken quite a shining to you, you know. That girl has a lot of trouble making friends, as you may have guessed."

Link laughed. "I never would have thought it."

"All the more reason to keep you in the loop." Ganondorf picked up one of the extra branches and prodded the fire with it. "The three of us need to stick together. I highly doubt that Zelda will allow us to travel to Snowpeak unmolested."

"Snowpeak?" North of the city was a vast mountain range, with one particular summit rising above all the others. "What are we going to find there?"

"A god." Ganondorf remained focused on the flames, not meeting Link's eyes. "One of the lesser pantheon, but powerful nonetheless. But it is not power that we are after."

"What is it?"

"Knowledge. An oracle lives atop the mountain."

"And when you say 'a god,' what do you-"

Ganondorf gave a signal for Link to be silent, and stared for a long time into the darkness of the forest. When he was satisfied they were not overheard, he continued. "Servants of the creators. Caretakers of this realm. The world is full of gods, Link, gods who care little for the struggles of you and I. But… sometimes… they can be persuaded. If a certain person comes along, it is not uncommon for the gods to grant them a boon."

He couldn't help his gaze flicking down to the Triforce on the back of his hand. "After all, you and I do have some influence among the gods, don't we?" Link said.

"Precisely. And that is why we must be very careful- the lands outside of Hyrule are, in many ways, more dangerous than the city itself. We have to stay together in the forest. Bad things happen to people who lose themselves in the trees."

"Well, why go through the forest, then, if it is so dangerous?"

Ganondorf was again looking over Link's shoulder, at the dark trees, as he spoke. "Because between Zelda and an angry forest guardian, I would much rather chance it with the god."

* * *

I believe someone requested that I put Saria in the story way back after Chapter 1 or 2. Well... request granted!

This chapter isn't particularly exciting plot-wise- it is primarily a character driven update. By this point, I'm sure everybody has realized that the three 'main' characters are Link, Ganondorf, and Midna, so I wanted to make sure we got to see a bit of how each one is developing, as well as further establish how they fit in to this version of Hyrule. Remember that ultimately they are not the exact same as they appeared in the games, rather, I've taken those personalities and interpreted how they would have developed under different circumstances.

To give you a bit of an idea what I mean: in 'Twilight Princess,' Midna is extremely narrow-minded when she first meets Link, concerned only with obtaining the power she needs to save her kingdom. In this story, Midna was unable to stop the demise of the Twili, and so has embraced her imp form much more than her natural appearance because of the power it gives her. At the heart of her character in this story is powerlessness; Midna never wants to see someone else control her destiny ever again.

That was hinted at in her conversation with Link in this chapter, and other pieces of her dialogue in previous chapters. She's just one example. The characters in the games are only really given a loose framework when it comes to character development, so there is a lot of room for interpretation. It's a delicate balance keeping the characters recognisable, especially the ones with very radical differences when compared to their in-game selves (Rusl and Zelda for instance).

As always leave a review to comment or ask questions, I'll do my best to see if I can answer them. The next chapter will have more of Ganondorf's backstory, so we are finally starting to answer some questions here.


	16. Chapter 16

Plenty of snow this time of year, great weather for staying in and getting some work done. Or slacking off, watching sports, and writing video game fanfiction. Whichever you prefer.

Also a note: For some reason, the first time I uploaded this chapter the entire thing was italicized and some sentences had been mixed around. If you're reading it and you notice a paragraph or sentence that seems out of place and makes no sense, please let me know.

* * *

16

Ganondorf Tells a Story (Part 2). Forest Magic. The Commandant Rides Again.

________

___

* * *

___

Ganondorf was alone.

__

_Snow danced around him in soft flakes, the chill breeze whipping his at his long red hair. The ground was rocky, unstable, a shifting mass of stone and pebbles beneath a thin layer of ice and snow._

_Just a man now, no longer King of anything, he started up the mountain alone._

_His allies had deserted him. His people had fallen. And his friend, the only person he had ever respected and loved as an equal, had betrayed him completely and fallen into madness._

_The famine had never improved for the Gerudo people, or any of the colonies along the river. Zelda had demanded more and more from them, collecting vast amounts of resources for some unseen purpose, and as the Castle Town grew, the peoples of the plains suffered._

_Ganondorf could not ignore their pleas. Although it meant facing his only friend on the battlefield, he had agreed to lead the revolution and replace Zelda as the leader of Hyrule._

_He had thought that she had been consumed by insanity. But on the day that the peoples of the plains marched to Hyrule Castle Town, he discovered that she had been ensnared by something else entirely._

_He thought back to that day as he climbed higher, breath rising in a white plume before him and flecks of snow collecting in his beard._

_The Hylian knights, unfailingly loyal to their sovereign, met them in full regalia. Zelda herself rode out to lead them on a white stallion, clad in cold, polished metal and luminescent with an unearthly light, like nothing else Ganondorf had ever seen._

_It was a massacre. The trained knights murdered the starving revolutionaries ruthlessly. The Princess was a shining beacon on the battlefield, an unstoppable force possessed by something otherwordly._

"_What should we do with the rest of the traitors, your Highness?"_

"_Destroy them. All of them," Zelda said dispassionately. "I have work to do, and my kingdom has been sapped enough by this foolish dissent. An example must be made now, as a warning to any who would undermine me in the future."_

"_Zelda," Ganondorf said, "What has happened to you?" He had been in the unenviable position of kneeling at her feet, fallen before her in battle, easily dispatched._

"_Enlightenment," was all that Zelda told him. "I would not expect you to understand, Ganondorf, my old friend."_

_That had been years ago. The punishment for his people had been death, for him, banishment. Ganondorf now wandered alone through the land that had been Hyrule long ago, but was now just empty wilderness._

_Where had Zelda obtained the incredible power she had used to defeat him? The Princess had fought with such might that he held little doubt that she could have won the battle single-handedly, one woman against an army. Certainly he stood no chance._

_He recalled their meeting in Castle town, long ago now. She had made claims towards godhood there, blasphemous, arrogant claims. But had they been the madness he had dismissed them as?_

'_Enlightenment…' Zelda had told him. Acting as though the struggles of the mortal plane no longer concerned her. As though she had wisdom that transcended the land of Hyrule, and its people._

_And what else had she said? That she had been visited by a messenger? A herald, from the gods. That was what had changed her._

_Perhaps it was time for him to change, as well._

_If Zelda was right, if the Gods were real and tangible and walked the land like any other mortal, than he would find them. And he would bid them lend their power to his cause- after all, the gods are above all else caretakers of the earthly realm. It was impossible that they would stand for the atrocities that Zelda committed in their name._

_They would grant him the same godlike power that had been granted to her. He was sure of it. They were bound to the Creators, both of them, and they both bore the mark of the Triforce. Surely there was a power within him, greater than he knew now._

_He did not want to kill his old friend. But he would if it was necessary. Thousands of men, women, and children, his subjects, had died in an attempt to put him on the throne of Hyrule. It would be the ultimate insult now to let their deaths be in vain._

_Ganondorf continued up the mountain, snow falling more heavily now, his boots and fingers struggling for purchase against frozen rock and crumbling ledges._

_Deep in his heart, he carried a faint hope that Zelda might yet be redeemed. That a shred of the woman he had known once remained._

______

_She had, after all, allowed him to live._

_

* * *

_

"So you found one of these gods up in the mountains?" Link asked.

"I did," Ganondorf said. "And I suppose I have Zelda to thank for that. She… wanted me to figure it out, I think."

There were still aspects to Ganondorf's story that he did not understand, however. "And that power you were talking about," Link was referring to Zelda's sudden might on the battlefield, "What was that, exactly?"

"The true power of the Triforce. I understood that we had been blessed by the gods, yes- what other explanation was there for our longevity? But Zelda discovered that the blessing meant far, far more and tapped into that power somehow."

"You can call upon that power too, though, Ganondorf, isn't that right?" Link once again focused on the energy that he could always feel surging through him, molten gold coursing through his veins. "All three of us can."

"Yes. Far be it from me to question the gods' will… But I feel that nothing good can come of placing this power in the hands of mere men and women."

"Still. We were chosen. It must mean something."

The pink sky was slowly giving way to a clear blue as the sun continued to lift itself over the horizon. On Cremia's ranch the grass was still damp with dew, but the early morning birdsong had already awoken many of the animals and ranch hands.

"Where the hell is she?" Ganondorf said this despite knowing full well where Midna was. With a gloved fist he rapped heavily on a window, which opened presently to reveal an extremely messy-looking Midna.

"Leave me alone you two, it's early."

"We're leaving," he said. "Get yourself dressed. We're traveling through the forest and I want to get through that place as fast as we can- it'll gain us some ground on any pursuit out of the city."

"What about breakfast?"

"You missed it."

After much resentful swearing and some leftover eggs, Midna joined them outside, and the three Gerudo went to meet Cremia at the stables.

"Now, you're paying me well," she said, "So I'll let you pick any horse that isn't mine or Romani's. There's a path leading into the forest just outside the ranch property, head down that and I expect you'll run into the Kokiri folk before too long."

"Kokiri?" Midna repeated the unfamiliar word.

"Forest sprites," Cremia explained. "The woods are their territory. You won't be able to travel through them without a Kokiri to show you the way."

They stepped into the stables, and Link was greeted with a pleasant surprise almost immediately.

"Epona!" he exclaimed, spotting his familiar mount in a stall near the end. "Remember me, girl? Yeah, of course you do. Of course you do!" He ran his hands through the horse's mane, laughing.

"Oh, so she's yours is she?" Cremia asked. "We found her roaming the plains, and I remembered that you'd asked me to keep an eye out for a stray horse. Just as well- she won't let anybody ride her."

"Thank you so much, Cremia," Link said with genuine gratitude.

"Never seen Link so excited to see me," Midna said out of the side of her mouth.

"That's because the horse is a lot prettier," Ganondorf replied to Midna under his breath. She tried to light him on fire but he casually snuffed out the magic.

"When did you get a sense of humour?" she asked him incredulously.

Cremia took the money for three horses, keeping the extra as a fee for taking care of Epona. Ganondorf chose a fierce-looking black stallion that Cremia seemed somewhat loath to part with, while Midna chose a muddy-looking animal of indeterminate breed, pronouncing that it 'looked like a jerk horse.'

The three of them rode out of the stable; Link and Ganondorf expertly, Midna clumsily, and along the path that would take them into the forest. Cremia gave each of them a meal she had packed herself.

"I didn't order this," Midna said. "This means chores if I take it, right?"

"It is out of the goodness of my own heart, Midna," Cremia responded. "By the way, I liked your old look a lot better. Your language was a lot easier to put up with when you were small and cute and didn't have bigger boobs than me."

Midna flushed darkly and politely thanked Cremia for the food, to some restrained laughter on the part of Link and Ganondorf.

Link's spirits were high. He was reunited with one old companion and about to embark on a new adventure with two people that, despite everything, he considered to be friends as well. Breathing deeply of the warm, humid breeze and listening to the familiar noises of Midna engaging in a suspiciously hasty argument with Ganondorf, he urged Epona along the path and passed the tree line.

The effect was eerie and almost immediate. It was as if he had suddenly been plunged underwater, so heavy was the air with magic. Behind him, the Midna's voice and the sounds of Cremia's ranch were suddenly dulled.

Then Ganondorf and Midna crossed into the forest, and their voices snapped back to their full volume.

"Wow," Midna commented, "This forest magic has a kick to it."

"It must be the trees," Link said, gazing up at the crisscrossing network of branches. "Everything in this place is alive. They must feed off each other, acting like a network of power."

"That is exactly right, actually," said an unfamiliar voice.

Link strung an arrow and drew in an instant, ready to let fly as he turned to face the intruder.

"It won't do you any good," said the little girl perched in a tree. Link did not lower his bow, but examined her closely. He could tell this was no ordinary child- her clothes seemed to be made of living plant matter, and her hair was an earthy shade of green.

"Put your weapon down," Ganondorf said. "She is a Kokiri. A forest spirit."

The Kokiri continued as if Link had done nothing more than politely interrupt her. "The Deku Tree sees everything that his children see. The trees are his eyes, his ears, his body. The Deku Tree is the whole forest. He has sent me to guide you safely through his realm. I am Saria."

"Is the Deku Tree this god you were talking about?" Midna asked Ganondorf. "The forest guardian?"

He seemed on edge as he replied, "One of them. The forest is old, and vast, and more than one being of power calls this place home."

The waifish forest girl dropped to the ground, landing almost without a sound. "You are correct, Gerudo King. We must also cross through the territory of-"

She was interrupted as a brilliant ball of light zoomed down from the tree behind her, soon approaching close enough for Link to make out the familiar silhouette of a tiny, unclothed woman with wings of scintillating light sprouting from her back.

Navi the fairy buzzed about their heads happily. "Hey! The Great Fairy told me you would be coming to the forest and she was right! Am I glad to see you!"

Midna reacted about as enthusiastically as could be expected. "Navi. You're alive."

"Yep!" Navi flitted over to her. "Wow, Midna, you look different. Just like that time you almost died."

"What happened to you, Navi?" Ganondorf asked. "Zelda tried to have all of us killed. How did you get away?"

The fairy finally settled on a seat just between Epona's ears. "I went to the Great Fairy for help. But she said that you and Midna had already used your boons, Ganondorf, and she can only grant one favour. So I stayed in her fountain- the wellspring of which is actually in this forest- and she told me you guys were alive and coming this way."

"Is the Great Fairy another god?" Link reached down and helped Saria climb up into the saddle in front of him. She was unusually light.

"A lesser god," Navi explained further. "She lives in the wandering Fountain, which exits into anywhere in Hyrule, and she grants wishes for travellers who can find her."

They stopped at a fork in the path. Above them, the only light that filtered through the now-dense canopy of foliage was a mottled green "Which way should I go?" Link asked Saria.

"Left," she said. "Do not lose your way in these woods. Without a Kokiri to guide you along the safe paths, the magic of the forest will consume even one so strong as you."

"She's right," Ganondorf said, drawing his cloak closer to him. "The magic here feels… oppressive."

* * *

"You're not moving your feet."

Link pressed forward adroitly. The branch in his hand made solid contact with the one in Midna's- Clack!

"Ow…"

"See? I told you," Ganondorf said before taking another bite of one of Cremia's sandwiches. "Move your feet, Midna. If he's stronger than you, don't resist his momentum- use it."

"Again," Link said.

Midna, with some reluctance, lifted herself to her feet. Ganondorf watched Link attempt to teach her sword combat with mild interest, reclining against a fallen log and eating the meal Cremia had packed back at the ranch. Saria and Navi watched too, as Link once again deftly speared Midna in the ribs with his branch.

"Agh! Quit stabbing me with the damn stick!"

"Then stop me," Link said, disarming her with a flourish and then shifting his weight, and hers, upending her once more.

"You're panicking," Ganondorf commented again, "Making bad decisions. Stay calm."

Link helped her up. "Here. You have to hold the sword properly, or-"

"It's a branch," Midna said.

"Then you have to hold the branch properly, or you won't be able to get any force behind it." He adjusted her grip on the sword, and then shifted her arms slightly. "Align your stance so that your body is behind your blade, like this. Okay, now try."

This time Midna charged him, trying her best to clout him in the head with the fallen branch. Link blocked each blow in turn, and then slipped inside her guard once more and jabbed her in the stomach.

Winded, she fell heavily to the ground.

"See? That was a bit better-"

She jumped to her feet again, and this time the piece of wood in her hands burst into flames, and she came at him swinging the fiery bludgeon. Ganondorf laughed heartily.

"Whoah! Not safe, not safe!" he said, waiting for an opening and then disarming her once more. The instant her fingers lost contact with the branch, the fire died out abrubtly.

"The trees do not like the fire," Saria said suddenly. "Do not do that again."

"Easy," Midna reassured her, "I'm just joking around. Hey, when we meeting this magic Deku Tree you keep talking about?"

The forest sprite tilted her head slightly, listening for a moment to the ever-present sounds of the forest. Then she looked to Ganondorf, who shook his head. "The Deku Tree grows in a sacred grove many miles from this place. He understands that you have need for great speed, and will forgive you your breach of etiquette in not seeking an audience."

"Maybe on the way back?" Navi asked brightly. "The Great Fairy's fountain is hidden deep inside the forest, too."

"Perhaps in a pinch," Ganondorf said. "Midna and I have already been granted favour by the Great Fairy, but remember Link- you have not. You can seek her aid at any time, should you need it."

"I'll keep that in mind" he said, tossing aside the branch that had served as a makeshift sword for Midna's lesson. He climbed up atop Epona, and helped tiny Saria resume her former position in front of him in the saddle, and the five of them set off through the woods once more.

Ganondorf urged his horse to keep pace with Link's, pulling up beside him.

"The magic of the forest speeds our passage," Ganondorf told him. "We'll spend a couple days beneath the cover of the trees, but when we emerge from the woods, we will be at least a week's journey northwards."

Link guided Epona along the forest trail that Saria pointed out. "Should put some distance between us and any pursuit."

He nodded, but still looked concerned. "The forest runs along the western edge of the plains, but Snowpeak mountain is dead north of Hyrule. We will be able to travel under cover of the trees for a couple more days heading west, but eventually we will have to cut across the grassland."

Link processed this information. "How long do you estimate the distance?"

"I haven't been outside the city in… a long time. I'm not sure. But I fear it could be as much as a day's hard riding, perhaps as little as half, before we reach the foothills of the mountain range."

"So what's your plan?"

"Well, either try to do it under cover of darkness, or hope that we've gained enough distance in this forest and ride hard as soon as we're out of this place."

They rode in silence for a few minutes while Link thought. The grasslands that ringed Hyrule were vast and largely flat. If Zelda didn't already know where they were headed, riding across the plains in broad daylight would be a quick way to ensure that she found out.

"We'll have to ride at night," Link decided. "If we plan on ever coming down from those mountains, then we must take every precaution to make sure that Zelda does not know where we are."

"It's possible that she could know already," Ganondorf pointed out.

"Well," Link reasoned, "Then a few days delay won't make much of a difference at all, will it?"

* * *

The room was richly appointed, to say the least.

Deep purple curtains framed the frost-wreathed windows, the altitudinous chill outside kept at bay by the crackling fire warming the room from the hearth, in front of a fur rug and soft reading chairs.

Rusl shut the door gently behind him. The lone occupant of the suite high above the city of Hyrule was still asleep, curled up beneath silk sheets- or at least, he appeared to be.

"You can quit pretending, Master," Rusl said, after a full minute passed by with no noise but the faint breathing of the apparently sleeping man. "You were awake before I even opened the door."

Viscen grunted and sat up. "Stop with the honorifics. The student surpassed the master long ago."

"I do not believe so. How is your leg?"

Viscen swung his over the edge of the bed and put some tentative weight on the leg where Colin had stabbed him. "It feels years younger than the rest of my body. The Princess' healing magic is more powerful than any I have known."

"It is a good thing that she rewards her servants so generously. It would be a shame if such a great warrior as yourself was reduced to nothing more that an invalid."

"Perhaps this warrior wishes to be an invalid." Viscen smiled, and then heaved himself out of the bed with a groan. "Lying in bed all day sounds like a pretty good life to me."

Rusl put the matter of Viscen's wound aside, and briefly stoked the fire for lack of something to occupy his hands. "I asked the princess if I could have one more chance to redeem myself."

"And hunt down the Gerudo fugitives, you mean?"

Rusl nodded, not meeting his old teacher's eyes. "I also made another request. One which the princess granted with… some reluctance."

If Rusl had been able to look Viscen in the eyes, he would have seen the sudden apprehension.

"I asked for my old teacher to accompany me."

"Rusl, no-"

He whirled on Viscen, the faintly glowing poker still clutched in one hand. "I have nothing else!" he shouted suddenly, "My son is dead! Colin… And it's all my fault!"

The old swordsman ran a hand through his silver hair. His joints cracked slightly in the coolness of the morning air. "Colin's death was… his own fault, Rusl. He wasn't a boy when he died, he was a young man. He knew what he was doing."

There were the beginnings of tears in Rusl's eyes, an emotional response that the Commandant showed to almost no one. "I killed him. Me. How can you say it's not my fault?"

"I watched over the boy in the days leading up to his death. He believed in the Gerudo. He knew how loyal you were to the Princess, Rusl, he admired you for it… he knew that if it came down to it, his own father would kill him."

"Do you believe that I was a bad father?"

Viscen took the poker from Rusl's hand and set it down. "In the end, the Colin I knew was an upstanding, courageous young man who believed in honour above all else. Exactly the sort of man that you were at his age. You were a role model to him. It just so happens that the Gods willed it that he walked a different path than you."

The Commandant took a step towards Viscen, a note of pleading in his voice that did not at all suit him. "Then the Gerudo did take him from me. All I want, Master… all I want is the chance to put my mistakes right again. Ride with me, this one last time."

Secretly, Viscen thought that his former student was hiding something from him. Rusl was a different man now, and although he seemed to be seeking vengeance or redemption, Viscen believed that he was really pursuing something else entirely, something that perhaps Rusl didn't even know that he wanted.

He sighed, suddenly feeling old and tired. "Very well."

Rusl did not smile at Viscen's acquiescence. "We ride to the north. Twenty men, counting you and me."

"When are we leaving?" Viscen asked, still hoping for a chance at breakfast.

"Now."

"I was afraid of that."

He reflected ruefully that he would not get a chance to bring along his weapon of choice, the spear, on this expedition. No, Viscen was going to have to return to the weapon that had defined him as a young man, the weapon that he had set aside long ago. For the first time in decades, the former Commandant Viscen would pick up his sword and ride to battle.

* * *

Setting things on fire is just how Midna shows affection.

This chapter features loads of dialogue and not a lot of action. I'm aware there hasn't been anything particularly exciting happening for a while, but that will change fairly soon, I can tell you. This chapter was originally two chapters- Ganondorf's story was originally much longer, as was the scene at Cremia's ranch, but I felt that the pacing of the story was slow enough already and was abler to edit both chapters into a single update. Considering how far we are into the story at this point, I wanted to move the plot along a bit faster. Hopefully I managed to accomplish this without the events here feeling rushed.

If five people review this chapter, that will make a hundred. I've never had a hundred before- feels like a milestone. Thanks a lot for reading and supporting this story, everybody, it really means a lot to know so many people like it.


	17. Chapter 17

I always try to upload chapters on Fridays, so that everybody can read them on the weekend, but I ended up getting home real late, so here's a Hockey Day update.

* * *

17

Cover of Darkness. Chase at Dawn. A Narrow Escape.

* * *

The arrow flew true, tearing through fur and flesh and sinking deep into the side of the rabbit.

"Good shot," Ganondorf said, plucking the animal from the ground. "I'll be glad to have a break from all that venison."

One of the forest's many rules was that Link was only allowed to kill an animal if Saria gave him permission to do so. Having just finished the last of the deer, Link had mentally vowed to shoot something different this time.

They walked back beneath the shallow forest canopy, where the late afternoon light gave the leaves a golden tinge. They had travelled far from the influence of the Great Fairy and the Deku Tree, and the ever-present thrum of the forest's magic was but a whisper now.

"Is that... a rabbit?" Midna looked up excitedly from were she was bent over the fire. She had used her magic to create a small cooking fire that needed no fuel and did not smoke. "Thank the gods. I was so sick of venison jerky."

"Here, get it cooked." Link tossed the rabbit to her, and then sat down heavily on the ground. Saria was standing next to him, her bare feet buried in the soil, like she did whenever they made camp. She did not eat, and seldom drank; as far as Link could tell Saria obtained her nourishment in the same manner as a plant, from the soil and the sun.

Her waifish brow was furrowed in concentration, her lips moving silently as she mouthed strange syllables. Presently her eyes flickered open, and she withdrew her feet from the moist loam. "We are alone within this stretch of forest," she said. "If you are being pursued, then your trackers do not move within the vision of the trees."

"Are you sure?' Ganondorf said. He always seemed to regard Saria with a modicum of caution unusual in the big man, and spoke of forest magic with distinct apprehension. "Is it possible that they have found a way to hide themselves from the forest's magic?"

Saria frowned minutely. "It is true that the soul of the wood is weak this far from the Deku Tree's grove, but only powerful magic can disrupt that connection. And the use of such magic would leave other traces, that is certain."

He sighed through his teeth and impatiently watched Midna skin the rabbit.

When Navi came fluttering through the trees, the bright light of her wings appearing to flicker in and out of existence as she was alternately obscured and then revealed by the tree branches, he looked up sharply. "Well?"

The fairy landed on Ganondorf's shoulder. "The forest ends about half a mile from here, and there's a big gap of open space before you get to the foothills. Once you're there, though, there's plenty of places you could hide."

"But while we're riding across the field, we'll be in plain view."

"During the day, at least," Link said.

Navi fluttered over to him. "I think that, if you guys rode fast, you might be able to make it to the mountains overnight."

"Hey," Midna shouted from beside the smokeless flames. "Have either of you two considered the fact that maybe there isn't anybody stalking us?"

"We can't afford to risk that," Ganondorf said. "As soon as it's dark enough, we need to ride as fast as we can, and hope that we won't be spotted."

They sat there, in the glade, and ate as the sun approached the horizon and the liquid gold of twilight darkened into the cool of the early evening. Although her emotions were nearly impossible to read, Links sensed that Saria was a bit reluctant to see them, or at least him, leave.

"Thank you for your help, Saria," he said, when he spotted her watching him. "We wouldn't have made it through the forest without you."

She smiled. "It was the Deku Tree's will, not mine. But I was honoured to act as a guide for one blessed by the Gods such as yourself, Link."

"Yeah," Midna interjected, "I'm sure going to miss Creepy Leaf Girl. Bye, Creepy Leaf Girl."

Saria, as usual, ignored Midna. The only one of them she had ever treated with any degree of familiarity was Link, perhaps because he was the only one of them that genuinely enjoyed being in the forest.

They mounted their horses and set off towards the plains as the woods darkened. Looking back, Link could see Saria watching them for a brief moment, before she disappeared into the trees.

"So what is that girl's deal, anyways?" Midna asked aloud. "Is she a plant, or something?"

Navi floated alongside her. "The Kokiri are forest sprites. Their lives are bound to the forest and the Deku tree, so they can never leave these woods. But as long as they don't, they can live forever."

Link wondered how old Saria was. Older than Ganondorf? Probably not, but certainly much more ancient than she looked.

"Navi," Ganondorf said, "You need to find somewhere to hide. Your light will give us away."

"Oh, right!" she said, and zoomed into Link's breast pocket. "If you still had your hat, I could have hid there," she looked up at him.

Absentmindedly, he patted his head. It still felt unfamiliar to not be wearing his favourite green hat or clothes. He had left those back in Hyrule, with the Woodfall Gerudo cell.

"Hey," Midna chuckled. "The fairy has the best seats in the house. Great view of up Link's nose."

Ganondorf held up a hand for silence.

The tree cover was thin now. Link could see where the forest ended and the plains stretched before them, rolling towards the hulking darkness of the mountains.

"Think it's dark enough?" Link asked.

"It'll have to be," Ganondorf responded. "Ride. Now!"

Link spurred Epona forward and they set off at a fast trot, weaving through the now-sparse tree cover and emerging on the plains. The ground was rocky here, close to the mountains, and grass grew in wide patches.

"Can't we go faster?" Midna said, her voice wavering comically with the motions of her horse. "I feel like we're not making much progress."

"We can't tire the horses out," Link explained, giving Epona a reassuring pat. "We'll need to ride all night, remember."

"Wish I could still fly," she crossed her arms, and then quickly uncrossed them to avoid losing her balance atop the animal.

"There's a bottleneck pass at the foot of Snowpeak," Ganondorf pointed, but Link could discern no details from the dark shapes of the mountains now that night had fallen. "We'll head there."

Link frowned. "Sounds like a likely place for an ambush."

Ganondorf pointed with his other arm. "There's another path leading up into the village on the other side of the mountain. Until they know what route we'll be taking, they'll have to wait for us to make the first move."

"Village?" Midna repeated, "There's a village?"

"Kasuto, on the far side of the mountain."

They continued to ride on into the night, the rhythmic thudding of Epona's hooves threatening to lull Link into a sense of complacency. He scanned the dark hills of the plains the best he could, but could discern nothing through the veil of night.

"Midna, how's your vision in the dark?"

She pressed her lips together tightly. "Not good. Normally I'm all about the night- it's kind of my thing. That was back when I was little Midna, though."

"So you can't do the shadow magic either?"

"No-whoa-ope." Her voiced hitched suddenly when as her horse took an unexpected turn. When she had guided it back in the right direction, she continued. "Wish I could still fly, too, so I wouldn't have to put up with this stupid jerk horse."

Looking up at the mountains, Link couldn't help but feel as though they weren't getting any closer. They remained as shadows, blotting out the sky and the stars. But the moon was high above him, and when he looked back the forest had completely disappeared from his view.

"It's a lot of distance to make up in one night," he said, riding alongside Ganondorf.

"I'm aware," was the response. "But what choice do we have? If we can make it to the pass, we'll be fine."

"Who do you think is after us? Not Zelda herself, surely?"

He shook his head, gaze fixed on the mountains ahead. "No. I do not believe she could leave Hyrule city, even if she tried. More likely our pursuit is her Royal Guard. Perhaps Rusl seeks vengeance for what happened to his son."

"I hope it's Zant," Midna piped up from behind them. "One more chance. That's all I need."

"In your current state that battle would be a joke," Ganondorf said flatly. "Pray that neither of her viziers have been set upon us."

She glowered.

Ganondorf went on. "No, we have travelled a great distance, and at speed. Any pursuit would need to be similarly swift, so trained soldiers seems to be most likely. And…" Here he trailed off.

"And?" Link pressed.

"And perhaps our former companion feels the need to add further to his list of betrayals." Ganondorf clenched his teeth in a savage grin. "I do not favour his chances if that is indeed the case."

"Viscen," Link said.

"Viscen!" Midna echoed. "If I can't spill Zant's blood, then his will have to do!"

The night passed on. While it was true that he had not known Viscen for very long, the old guard had never struck him as a bad person, regardless of what his personal allegiance had turned out to be.

Then again, Rusl was an honest and honourable man, and his determination was what Link admired most about him, even though that same resolve would likely result in one of them killing the other. He thought briefly on whether he would be able to kill Viscen.

Link knew that he would if he had to. But something told him that there was still more to Viscen than met the eye.

"Does anybody else need to die?" he asked abruptly. "If you could end this dispute right now, without killing anyone, would you?"

Ganondorf did not answer right away. "I would like to say yes. Really, I would. But I don't know if I could ever be content, knowing the crimes that went unpunished."

He turned to Midna, who did not hesitate one bit. "I want Zant dead. He dies by my hand." For once, there was not a hint of mirth in her eyes.

Link rode on in silence.

The mountains were definitely larger in their vision now, and growing rapidly. He could already make out the individual features on the face of Snowpeak, and see the beginnings of light glimmer on the snow and ice.

The sky was lightening, the inky black changing to blue and purple.

"Hard!" Link shouted, urging Epona forward. She responded beautifully, leaping into a hard gallop that Link knew she had been waiting to do all night.

Behind him, he heard Ganondorf and Midna spur their mounts simultaneously.

For several minutes, the only sound was the whistling of the wind through his hair and the heavy rhythm of Epona's hooves on the cold ground. The sky began to lighten considerably now as the dawn approached. Link could see the narrow pass in the gap between two cliff faces.

"Watch out!" Navi shouted suddenly.

Link looked around frantically. A light some distance away caught his eye- a lone horseman perched on a hill waving a torch back and forth. A signal.

"Gods damn it," Ganondorf grunted.

The horseman disappeared.

There was another span of several minutes that passed without anything happening. The mountain range was enormous now, filling their vision. Now it was the bottleneck pass that seemed to grow no closer, despite the ground that flew by beneath them.

"Come on!" Midna yelled.

The first edge of the sun broached the horizon, spilling light across the grey plains.

"Look!" Navi said again.

From their hiding place behind a hillock, a number of riders had leapt to their feet and mounted their horses. They spilled out from their cover, circling around to move towards the mountains, and gaining speed.

"How many?" Link shouted, not taking his eyes off their target. Were they a bit closer than before? Surely they must be.

"Twenty!" Navi yelled back at him, her high-pitched voice still clearly audible over the din of the horses.

"They're not coming for us!" Midna said, tracking their movement.

"They're going to cut us off!" was Ganondorf's response. "We have to make it into that passage before they do!"

"Come on, girl," Link patted Epona, although in the thrill of the race he was unsure if she noticed. "You can do it."

Their pursuers kept pace with them, several kilometres away. Link would have to take Navi's word on the fact that there were twenty riders, because they were too distant for Link to make out any one individual.

"We can take them!" Midna yelled. "There's only twenty!"

"Just ride!" Ganondorf shouted back. It was quickly becoming apparent that Link, Ganondorf, and Midna were going to lose this race. The soldiers altered course slightly so as to intercept them well before they reached the gap in the mountains.

"Ganondorf…" Link gritted his teeth. They were in trouble. He shifted his bow off his back and plucked an arrow from the quiver.

As the minutes passed, the sound of hoofbeats intensified as the soldiers came within earshot. Link could see Rusl's cape fluttering at the head of the charge now, his golden sword drawn.

"Viscen!" Navi said suddenly, her superior eyesight picking out their former ally. "Viscen is with them."

She was right- Link could see him too, the growing sunlight reflecting more off his silver hair than his battleworn armour. Instead of a spear, he too bore a brilliantly shining longsword.

Rusl made a sharp gesture with his free hand. _Surrender_.

"Yah!" Ganondorf urged even more speed from the black stallion, but the effort was hopeless.

The distance between the two groups shortened abruptly.

One hundred metres. Epona was breathing heavily now, the sound loud in his ears.

Then seventy-five. He shifted the bow and arrow to one hand, the other still gripping the reins.

Then fifty. He could hear the jangling of the soldier's armour.

Twenty five. The world seemed afire in the light of the dawn.

Link tugged on Epona's reins sharply, and she responded immediately, slowing up and changing direction as Midna and Ganondorf flew past him.

They came together in a crash of ringing metal, Rusl's sword whirling as it thudded into the thick wood of Ganondorf's staff. Midna was desperately swinging her sword, free hand working to conjure magic.

Link started loosing arrows as fast as he could. The first two clattered off of Rusl's armour at poor angles, and in the chaos the third flew awry and pierced a horse's throat. The animal went down with a bellow of pain, thrashing wildly and sending the other mounts into a panic. Midna screamed as her steed collapsed in a frenzy of blood and foam.

"Go! Go!" Link shouted, weaving Epona through the mess. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ganondorf break away from Rusl and continue his charge towards the mountains.

Plumes of flame erupted from Midna's fingers, buying precious seconds. Link seized her roughly under the shoulders and hauled her up into the saddle. "Grab hold!"

She grabbed his waist with one hand and used the other to continue flinging magic. With deadly speed, Link raised his bow and fired an arrow that embedded itself deeply into one man's eye.

He charged at the opening he had created, breaking free of the melee and out into the open. Link wheeled Epona about and the galloped after Ganondorf, towards the mountains.

"Where the hell did Ganondorf go!" She shouted from behind him.

"He's ahead of us!" Link yelled back. There was a sharp whistling noise as an arrow sailed by uncomfortably close to his head.

"They're shooting at us!" There was significant panic in her voice.

"Stop them!"

He heard a strange popping, crackling noise, which he soon realized was the sound of Midna magically striking arrow out of the air.

There was a sudden cry of pain. "Aagh- Go faster!" She bellowed.

Link dared a glance over his shoulder. Barely ten metres behind them was Viscen, keeping pace easily, the remainder of their pursuers only a little further back.

"Burn, traitor!" Midna shouted, throwing fire at their former comrade. Viscen's sword flicked out to intercept the flame, redirecting it back at them. Link steered Epona out of the magic's path, and it flared brightly against the ground beside them.

They were close to the mountains now, the passage between the two cliff faces open wide before them. Ganondorf was standing between the rock walls, waiting.

"What the hell is he doing?"

Link ignored Midna, urging every last bit of effort from Epona. She was breathing hard, sweat slicking her mane, but she responded, galloping faster still.

"Come on, girl," Link pleaded. "Just a little further."

"Link!" said Midna.

Ahead of them, Ganondorf raised his arms, and the Triforce on his hand glowed bright.

"Just a little further." They were so close now. Seconds away.

"Link!"

Viscen was alongside them, his sword drawn, his eyes cold. Midna fumbled with hers, desperate but far, far too slow.

Without looking, Link reached back and seized Midna's rapier, as Viscen simultaneously raised his own blade.

There was one single, deafening _clang_, as Link deflected the blow with Midna's sword, and then they were sailing into the crevasse, Viscen suddenly turning sharply away, shouting to his men, "Pull back! Back! Now! Pull-"

Ganondorf's hands crashed to the ground, tiny stone chips tossed into the air from the impact.

There was a split second of silence, followed by the cacophonous noise of a thousand tons of rock splitting and falling to the ground. The narrow canyon shook violently as the avalanche continued, and the air became thick with dust.

For a few desperate moments, Link's whole world became violent noise and chaos and the avalanche continued, the ground shuddering and Epona thrashing about in fear.

When the tremors had ceased, Link dared to wipe the stone powder from his eyes and glance about. He and Midna were alone in the canyon, still atop Epona. Ganondorf's unattended horse whinnied nervously further along the narrow passage. Everything was coated in a fine layer of dust; their skin, clothes, and hair all appeared whitish-gray.

The silence was broken when Midna leaned sideways and vomited loudly. "Uuuung. What happened?" She wiped her mouth.

Link coughed dryly, drinking quickly from his canteen and swishing it around his mouth to get rid of the taste of rock and dirt. "Ganondorf collapsed the canyon." he said, sliding off of Epona. He poured some more water in his hands and used it to wash out her mouth, nose and eyes.

"Good girl," he whispered, "Good girl. You saved us both."

The dust was beginning to settle now. The entrance to the pass, where Ganondorf had been standing, was no more, buried beneath a massive pile of collapsed stone. The Hylian knights were nowhere to be seen, presumably either buried or trapped on the other side.

"I think I got clipped pretty bad by an arrow back there," Midna said tentatively patting her backside and wincing in pain. "Ow! Yep. Jeez. Of all the damn luck. Where the hell is the boss at?"

"Look!"

Link had almost forgotten about Navi, but the tiny fairy was still there, hiding in the pockets of his cloak. She fluttered out now and zipped over to a particular pile of boulders.

Now that his attention was drawn, Link did indeed notice that the pile seemed to be moving oddly. With a crash, several of the rock chunks shattered and Ganondorf slumped out, coated in dust and buried to the waist.

Link hurried over and helped him pull himself out. Ganondorf collapsed as soon as he was free, coughing loudly for several minutes and hacking up spittle flecked with stone fragments.

He reached blindly for water, and Link handed him a canteen.

"Thank you," he said when he had struggled to his feet. "Anybody hurt?"

"I got shot in the ass," Midna complained.

"There is so much of it to hit, how could anybody miss?"

She frowned. "You know, you can be a real jerk sometimes."

Ganondorf staggered over to his horse. "I learned from the best," he said, lifting himself up into the saddle.

"What do you suppose happened to Rusl and his men?" Link asked, contemplating the collapsed stone.

"I should like to say they were killed," Ganondorf said, "But it would be foolish to hope. No, Rusl and Viscen are still alive, I'd wager, but now they are several days out of their way."

"How do you mean?"

Still coughing, he raised his hand to gesture weakly. "They'll have to circle all the way around the mountain to reach Kasuto Village, a journey of three days, two and a half at speed. Meanwhile, we should be in the village before sundown today, even at a leisurely pace."

Link opted to lead Epona along on foot for a while, content to give the horse a well-earned rest. Midna, however, continued to insist she was in no condition to walk.

"I don't suppose there's a possibility of Rusl and Viscen ascending the mountain before we do?"

Ganondorf chuckled. "It's sheer ice on all sides. The only path to the peak goes out of Kasuto."

Running his hand through his hair sent a small cloud of dust flying. Link felt tired, sore, and filthy. He would like nothing more than to rest for several days before attempting the no-doubt hazardous climb to the top of Snowpeak. But rest came later.

"We can probably afford to spend one night in the village," Link said. "But I want to start up the mountain as soon as possible."

Ganondorf nodded. "It's dangerous to try the climb at night, anyways. You'll freeze to death."

"These gods of yours had better be worth it."

"They won't be the ones who'll need to prove their worth."

As they travelled along the canyon, the stone walls parted and the ground rose up before them. Soon they were travelling along a winding, rocky path that narrowed so much at times that they could only proceed one at a time.

The temperature grew colder as they continued around Snowpeak's massive circumference. It was shortly after noon that the first flakes of snow began to fall, and these soon gave way to flurries of great, fat snowflakes that settled gently on the ground in the calm air of the sheltered canyon.

Ganondorf's prediction turned out to be spot-on, for it was shortly before sundown that they came upon the village of Kasuto, at the foot of Snowpeak. Although it was early in the evening, Kasuto was swathed in the shadows cast by the mountains and the twinkling gleam of firelight beckoned them onwards, towards their brief respite.

* * *

I wanted to keep this chapter all one scene, without using any jumps. Hopefully I've achieved the effect that I was hoping for.

In case anybody was wondering, 'Kasuto' is the name of an abandoned town Zelda II, and is the only town in that game that does not have an Ocarina of Time character named after them.


	18. Chapter 18

So... I have a bit of an embarassing confession to make.

I was ready to upload this chapter about two weeks ago, and I honestly thought that I had already done it. It turned out that, when I got no notifications of reviews or favorites on Chapter 18, I checked to see if anybody had even read it, and it turned out that I had forgotten to upload it.

So I stayed up late getting this ready to go. Hopefully the wait for 19 will be shorter.

* * *

18

Dissent. Familiarity. Isolation.

* * *

The dust was slowly settling on the moors, revealing the mound of collapsed shale that blocked the pass.

Rusl stared at it, uncomprehending, attempting to will it away. But the mountainside remained shattered, and the way remained shut. He had never in his life seen magic of that magnitude, not even from Zelda herself. The sheer power behind the spell had left his ears ringing, his thoughts dull in his head.

Viscen rode up beside him, a thin gray layer of dust covering his worn armour, and looking very tired. "Eighteen men. Counting you and me."

He blinked, and turned to stare blankly at his old teacher. "Hm?"

"Two men dead. One shot through the eye, another beneath that avalanche. Eighteen left." Viscen watched Rusl closely, waiting calmly for a response.

The Commandant wheeled his horse about. "We'll have to go around the mountain. Her Highness informs me that they intend to try for Snowpeak. We can follow them partways up the mountain, set up another ambush."

"Certainly," Viscen said. His voice betrayed no emotion.

Rusl closed his eyes and seemed to contain some great internal struggle. "I will complete this task. I will redeem my son." Drawing his gilded blade, he shouted commands to the idle soldiers. "To the far side of the peak! We will prevail!"

"For Hyrule!" his men shouted. Their faith in him was a reassurance, proof that he was doing the right thing.

"For Hyrule!" Rusl bellowed back. He spurred his mount onwards, and seventeen other men did the same.

The only one of them who did not say anything at all was Viscen.

* * *

Lying on her stomach on the only table in the cramped cabin, Midna took a deep breath.

And then another.

And then another.

"Alright," she said finally. "Alright."

She took a deep breath.

"Are you trying to make yourself pass out?" Link asked from the other side of the cabin. He was reclined on an overstuffed couch, sipping tea and whiskey from a chipped mug. He was ashamed to say that he was really starting to acquire a taste for the foul concoction.

One of the old witches (Koume? Or was it Kotake? Link could not tell the difference) continued to work at the combination of herbs with a mortar and pestle. Whatever she was making, it smelled even worse than his drink.

The other witch hovered over Midna with a pair of forceps that had been heating in the fire for the last ten minutes. Her clothing was pulled aside, exposing the darkly bleeding wound high on her thigh.

"Whenever you're ready, dear," Koume or Kotake said. It was the fifth time she had said it.

"Whenever you're ready," Midna repeated in a singsong voice.

"Gods above," Link said, "You never complained this much when you actually got shot."

The shaft of the arrow had snapped off in the frantic chase, but the metal arrowhead remained embedded within her leg. When they had arrived in Kasuto and paid for their lodgings, Midna's claim of being unable to walk proved true. Link had located the town's only doctors- the two old hags- and paid them with Ganondorf's money.

"Well I don't see you lying here with your ass in the air, so why don't you keep your opinions to yourself!" Midna snapped back. She took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. What I meant to say was that I would greatly appreciate it if it were you having a sharp chunk of metal removed from your buttcheek instead of me."

"I believe it is actually a few centimetres below your buttcheek," Link corrected her politely. He was having way too much fun with this.

"Okay," Midna said. "Do it." She the belt Link had helpfully supplied her with, folded it over, and put it in her mouth. "Mm rrdy"

One of the old witches withdrew a set of forceps from a pot of water boiling over the fire. Link set down the mug and grasped Midna's hands. She squeezed them tightly.

And then suddenly she was clenching them desperately, the joints cracking with the strain, her arms thrashing wildly and Link doing everything he could to hold her still. The other witch had hold of her legs and was pinning them to the table firmly. Midna's scream was muffled by the belt in her mouth, her eyelids clamped shut. Lengths of red hair whipped about freely; blue-black blood pooled on the table.

"There we go, that wasn't so bad now, was it?" The witch that Link thought was possibly Koume dropped the arrowhead into a metal bowl with a loud _clang_.

Link leaned over to look at it. The sharp piece of twisted metal was at least half as large as his palm. "By Din, that must have hurt, Midna."

Midna spat out the leather belt. There were deep semicircular indentations left by her teeth. "I miss being all magic and stuff." She raked a hand through her sweat-soaked hair. "That really, really, really sucked."

The witch that was maybe Kotake picked up the bowl of herbs she had been mixing. "Here. This balm will seal the wound swiftly and rejuvenate your magical essence."

"Lay it on me."

The witch took the instructions literally, scooping up the ointment in her withered hands and gently dabbing it into the wound on the back of Midna's thigh. It was an electric blue, and the instant it touched her Midna sighed peacefully. "Aahh, that is some kind of miracle ooze. Keep it coming."

Link had resumed his previous seat and drink when the cabin door banged open, admitting a gust of frigid wind, a sudden flurry of snowflakes, and what at first appeared to be two bears.

"Was able to find a stable that'll care for the horses while we're on the mountain. And I've got coats," Ganondorf said. "Look. White Wolfos fur, this one. It blends in _and_ repels the cold."

It must have taken at least four wolves to make the fur coat Ganondorf was wearing; with his dark skin and red beard poking out from beneath the furry white hood, he looked wildly mismatched.

Navi, tossed about wildly by the wind, shot into the room after him and, with almost no effort whatsoever, Ganondorf pushed the door shut, "How's the injury?" He asked Midna. "Did they get the arrowhead out all right?"

"Well, I lost about two pints of blood, but the job got done." Midna was uncharacteristically calm. Euphoric, even. "And this blue gunk is just making my day right now. You have no idea."

"Sorry I couldn't help," Navi said. "But there was a magic-suppressing ward in those arrows. Powerful, too."

Ganondorf looked at the two witches oddly. "This potion will heal her wound, right? She'll be fine to go up the mountain?"

"The wound will be closed and mended by morning," said one witch.

"There will still be pain, but even that will be gone within a week."

"Good…" Ganondorf seemed distracted. He set the coats down on the couch, but continued to watch the two witches for a while afterwards with a very strange expression on his face.

"Okay buddy, this ain't no peep show here," Midna said. "Move along."

She was flattering herself. Link saw that something about Koume and Kotake unnerved Ganondorf very much, and the Gerudo could not keep his eyes off them. Even when he joined Link in taking a seat and pouring himself some hot tea, his eyes were still drawn to them.

Link pondered for a while whether it was worthwhile to bring up the subject, and when the witches had gone, and they had settled down to sleep, and the cabin was filled with the smell of the bright blue paste, he asked, "Did you know those two healers?"

"Hm?" Ganondorf said from his place on the bed across the room. Link was still on the couch and Midna was sleeping on the floor, propped on her stomach so as not to reinjure herself.

"You were looking at them as if you knew them. You've been to this town before, right?"

"Yes, long ago. Centuries ago. Before even the city of Hyrule existed." The wind picked up outside, howling against the cabin's walls and bombarding the frosted windows with snowflakes. The fire flickering in the hearth kept the inside of the cabin warm, however, augmented by one of Midna's warming spells.

"And the witches were alive then?"

"No. I have never seen them before." Ganondorf stared at the ceiling while he talked. "And yet… they seem familiar. As though I knew them once, but have long since forgotten."

"It was like that for me, too," Link said. "Not with Koume and Kotake, but with Saria, the girl who helped us in the forest. It was like I'd known her my whole life. Strange, isn't it?"

"Not exactly," Ganondorf responded. "It will make sense to you after you have consulted with the gods atop Snowpeak."

Link sat up. Ganondorf was still gazing at the ceiling. "Why? What did they tell you?"

"Something terrible. It shook me to my very soul to hear it. But I have reason to believe that the gods have much less… distressing revelations in store for you."

"Why?" Link asked, his voice urgent now. "What are you talking about?"

"You will see. Soon." Ganondorf rolled over and faced the wall.

Link lay back down and folded his arms over his head, trying to block the fire's flickering light.

"Link! Are you awake?" Midna hissed loudly.

"You just heard us talking."

"I really, really, want to roll over," she said. "Really badly. I've been lying on my stomach for like five hours."

"But you can't-"

"- But I can't. I might reopen my wound."

"You aren't happy unless you're complaining about something, are you?" Link sighed.

"Nope," Midna whispered.

Navi the fairy slept soundly, curled up atop one of the fur coats.

* * *

Midna was complaining. "Ugh, I hate the cold. Back when I was an imp, I couldn't even feel it."

She, along with Link and Ganondorf, was bundled up in thick fur and carrying a backpack full of supplies and climbing gear. The day was bright, blinding in the snowy whiteness.

"Plus my ass still hurts," she said. Nobody acknowledged her, but she said it anyways.

Ganondorf was looking up at the mountain. "We can stop for breakfast once we cross the lake. There are plenty of places to shelter up on the mountain."

"What lake?" Midna asked.

"We're standing on it."

Link bent down and scraped away the snow. The layer of ice beneath was smooth and gently rippled, exactly the way a large body of water might freeze.

They were fifteen minutes out of Kasuto. Working through the snow was difficult, however, and the town was still within shouting distance behind them.

Midna looked down, into the hole in the snow that Link had made, at the frozen surface of the lake. "Suddenly, I'm nervous," she said, trying to peer through the ice.

"You're sure this is safe?" Link asked.

"Absolutely," Ganondorf scoffed. "Watch."

And then he jumped.

"Aw, no-" Midna began, but then Ganondorf thumped back down heavily.

"See?" He jumped up and down a couple more times for emphasis.

"Yes, yes, I see," she grabbed his shoulder and kept him from leaping into the air again. "Just… stop that!"

"Why do you hate fun so much, Midna?" Link asked, forging a path ahead through the snow.

Ganondorf laughed. "She's quite the little spoilsport, isn't she?"

"I do not hate fun!" she hustled after them, kicking up miniature flurries. "I just really, really like not drowning in an icy lake."

"Well, then, you might not like what's up ahead," Link said. He raised his hands to shield his eyes from the glare, to affirm what he was seeing. At the other side of the lake, close to the far shore, the whiteness of the snow was marred by a stretch of inky darkness.

Ganondorf saw it, too. "Hm. The ice must have broken."

As they got closer, they saw that it had shattered cleanly- thick chunks of ice bobbed up and down in the dark water. Link walked all the way up to the edge and peered over. "Looks like we'll have to jump."

"Oh, no. No way. No way."

"You two go first," Ganondorf said. "I'm much heavier. The ice might not hold my weight."

Navi poked her head out from Link's pocket and did a quick flyover of the floating obstacle course. She hovered over a large piece that was easily within leaping distance. "Start here!" She shouted, her tiny voice barely audible, "I'll show you which ones are safe!"

Link shrugged off his pack. "Throw this over when I get there." And with that he backed up, took a running start, and jumped.

He cleared the gap easily. But his boots came down hard on the floating ice shelf, which swayed unsteadily beneath his weight. He began sliding inexorably forward, the miniature iceberg tilting further and further as he added his weight.

"Don't fall in the water!" Navi panicked. "Oh, no! Oh no!"

With a grunt of effort, Link jabbed his dagger into the ice. It worked, providing him with enough purchase to stop himself from slipping any further.

"Gods, I really thought you were gonna drown there." Midna was saying. "Take it easy, Link."

Link slowly stood up, found his balance, and launched himself over the water again. This time, when he hit the ice he let himself fall down, and splayed out his arms and legs to keep the miniature iceberg steady.

Slowly, he began to work his way across the icy water.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Midna said behind him. She had started across also, and was a few icebergs behind him. "It's actually kinda fun, once I get past how much I hate it."

Link made one more leap, and finally found himself standing on solid rock. "Alright!" He yelled back at Ganondorf. "Throw the packs over!"

Ganondorf picked up Link's bag and gave it a mighty toss. Propelled by his incredible strength, it sailed easily over the water and landed right in Link's arms.

Midna hopped onto the rocks beside him. "Damn, that was a hell of a throw."

Link caught the second bag; it was Midna's. "Oof! These things aren't exactly easy to lift with one arm, either."

She watched Ganondorf throw his own pack over the floating ice. "Sometimes… I forget how strong the big man really is. Especially in light of me losing my Shadows and all. It's… humbling. To see someone that powerful."

"Power isn't everything," Link said. "You see?"

They watched Ganondorf jump onto the first ice block and wipe out.

"You alright, big guy?" Midna shouted.

Ganondorf raised an arm in acknowledgement, and slowly regained his feet. Slowly, but surely, the Gerudo leader navigated his way across the ice floes until he, too, was standing beside them.

"Well," he said. "Here it's almost noon, and we haven't even started climbing yet."

"We can start up the mountain and have a break in a few hours," Link suggested. The foot of the mountain inclined gently, with the snowy slopes near the bottom providing little obstacle.

The primary difficulty was simply fatigue, and the snow rose up to his waist in many places and bogged down his steps. As the slope of the mountain grew ever steeper, he found his breath coming short and ragged, his pack weighing heavy on his back.

"There," Midna pointed. "Those trees up ahead. Snow'll be less deep there."

She was right. A copse of pine trees stretched out along the mountainside, allowing the drifts of snow to build up against the branches. They had to use their arms to shield their faces from the low-hanging branches, but at least they could move their feet again.

The thin snow and frozen soil soon became icy rock, as they reached the tree line further up the mountain. Snow was falling hard and fast, tossed about by the increasing winds and stinging Link's face and eyes.

"I can't see where we're going," Ganondorf said.

"I wish I could help," Navi said, now roosting in the confines of his fur coat, "But I'd get blown away if I tried to fly in this wind."

Midna peered into the gale of whiteness. "What are we looking for?"

"There should be a sheer rock wall a hundred or so yards ahead. There's a cave in the wall that had other entrances further up the mountain."

"I'll go take a look," Link said. "Watch my pack."

Neither Midna nor Ganondorf objected, he hadn't expected them to. "Be careful," Ganondorf said. "This is no ordinary storm."

Link nodded, let his pack fall to the snowy ground, and stepped out from the shelter of the pine trees and into the blizzard. Almost immediately he was enveloped in a piercing gale that tugged insistently on his cloak, a million snowflakes swirling about his head.

After a few steps he began to feel disoriented. Looking behind him, he could not spot Midna or Ganondorf. Only the faint light of Navi the fairy marked the trees where they were hiding.

Turning around again, he found that he was already unsure of his bearings. The howling of the wind in his ear overwhelmed his thoughts and created an odd sort of silence; the quiet shuffle of his boots lifting the fresh snow was clearly audible.

He saw a light before him, and for a second Link thought that he had gotten turned around again and was seeing Navi through the blizzard. But then he realized something was different about this light. It was… golden?

There was the sudden sound of quick footsteps and noisy breathing, just behind him. He whirled around, but saw nothing.

Link was completely lost in the blizzard now. "Hello!" he shouted. "Can anyone hear me!"

There was no answer, save for the same sound of quick light footfalls that now seemed to be all around him. Link slid the bow from his back plucked an arrow from the quiver. In the erratic winds, it was a struggle to merely hold the weapon straight.

He squinted, looking past the thousands upon thousands of snowflakes falling through the air, into the swirling whiteness, searching, searching for stillness.

There. A pair of black eyes in white fur, immobile amongst the constant movement.

Link let the arrow fly, off target, just as the winds changed direction yet again. It traced a parabolic arc sideways through the air as the wind took it, curving gracefully into Link's target.

The sudden ruby-red splash of blood was almost incandescent against the whiteness, the agonized howl carried away in the storm's fury.

The second Wolfos, the one behind him, charged him as soon as it comrade fell, and Link could only turn half-way round in the time between its leap into the air and its impact with his body. The animal's gnashing teeth sought his throat as, simultaneously, Link pressed his forearm against the Wolfos' windpipe and shoved hard. He threw the beast off him and it vanished into the snowstorm once more, attempting to circle round for another pass.

Link unsheathed the dagger at his side and, as the Wolfos leapt once more, slashed out at it. The blade caught the animal in the throat, another gout of scarlet staining the snow as the force of the blow knocked the animal out of midair and into the ground.

Flicking droplets of blood off the end of the knife, Link paused once more. There had been one more of them. He was sure of it.

The snarl of the beast as it lunged was the only warning he received. Link turned, too late to do anything but catch a glimpse of the Wolfos as its mouth closed around his neck, teeth sinking into his throat. As the pale whiteness around him grew into a pure blinding light, he couldn't help but notice that this animal was a different color than the rest.

Instead of a camouflaging white, this creature's fur was a brilliant gold, shining brightly against the mountain's coldness.

* * *

I wanted this chapter to reflect the feel of playing the games a little bit, hence the ice-jumping and the exploring Snowpeak mountain. That iceberg-jumping obstacle is in so many of the games, I just had to put it in.


	19. Chapter 19

I'm not going to lie. I was working on a Harry Potter story and neglecting this one.

* * *

19

The Gods of Snowpeak. Counsel on the Mountaintop. Past Lives.

* * *

Link pulled himself to his feet, standing on nothing.

The world seemed to be made out of an unnatural light. Familiar shapes drifted in and out of the brightness- the vast forest, Snowpeak mountain, and the gargantuan skyline of the ancient city of Hyrule.

He looked down at his clothing. He was once again garbed in his familiar green tunic and chainmail, and his sword was a welcome weight on his back.

The thought that he might be dead briefly crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. Link could still feel the power of the Triforce thrumming within him, almost as strong now as it had been that night in Hyrule Castle, when all the Bearers had been in the same place.

The memory of the golden Wolfos lunging at his throat returned to him in a sudden rush. Almost as soon as he remembered it, he saw it- the very same Wolfos, shining brilliantly and sitting, staring up at him.

The power of the Triforce surged, and there was a blinding flash, and then suddenly Link was the one looking up at the Wolfos.

It wasn't a Wolfos anymore, though. It was a man. Or, perhaps, the remains of one. A tall, hulking figure of ancient bones and hollow eyes, garbed in the ruins of majestic armour and wielding a greatsword that was nearly as long as Link was tall.

The skeletal apparition lowered his blade.

Link slowly eased his own sword out of its scabbard, holding it in front of him. He widened his stance slightly and stood, waiting.

The skeleton struck quickly, moving in perfect silence despite the ancient, heavy armour. Swinging the gigantic blade as if it weighed nothing, he brought the sword down on Link's head.

Or, he would have, had Link not sidestepped the blow. The mysterious swordsman reacted effortlessly, dodging Link's counterattack and lifting the weapon into an upward slice.

Link was barely able to parry the attack before the skeleton struck again, again, and again, continuing to swing the greatsword with an impossible speed, never tiring and never slowing.

The battle was one-sided. Link would narrowly avoid being killed and an instant later would have to react again to save himself from being bisected by yet another mighty swing.

The skeleton raised the sword high above his head and, as he brought the blade downwards, Link saw his opportunity.

He angled his own sword precisely and stepped forward, accepting the entire weight of the blow. There was a loud crash of ringing metal as he turned the blow aside, stepped forward and, with one nimble strike, cleaved the skeletal warrior's head from its shoulders.

Or he would have, had the skeletal warrior still been there. His mysterious foe dissolved into smoke as soon as his blow struck home, vanishing into nothingness on an absent wind.

"Truly, you are the Bearer of Courage."

The voice was a deep rattle, impossibly ancient.

Link turned around and saw the skeleton standing calmly, sword sheathed. It spoke again: "For centuries I have wandered this snowy mountainside, waiting for the one who could equal me in battle. You are a formidable opponent, young swordsman."

Link kept his blade in front of him. "As are you. What is this place?"

He gestured with a rotting hand at the dazzling light, at the ghostly landmarks that seemed simultaneously close by and impossibly distant. "Another plane of reality, closely linked to the one where the ancient city hides a dark secret. There are many other planes of reality, many other incarnations of myself, of the people that you meet, even the places you see."

Link shifted his stance slightly, and still did not lower his sword.

"But you are unique. Three souls who stride between realities, across time, again and again."

"Me. Zelda. And Ganondorf." Link said.

The apparition breathed his satisfaction. "Courage. Wisdom. Power."

"So what exactly are you?" Link asked. "A guardian of the mountain? A trial? A test of my worthiness?"

"A lesson." The skeleton said. "Hundreds of years I have waited, waited for you, and once I have imparted my knowledge I will cease to exist. This meeting is my only purpose."

Link suppressed a shudder. The spirit's words brought up once more the question he had been contemplating for some time now. Had it been fated that he would come to this place? Was his whole life laid out further ahead of him, as he helplessly plodded along under the delusion that anything he did made a difference?

The skeleton answered as if he knew exactly what Link was thinking and, for that matter, he probably did. "For any other person, that would be true. They are as puppets before the hands of the Three. But you, Link, and Zelda, and Ganondorf… you alone out of all men and women have the ability to bend fate according to your will. Today was the last day of your life that you acted as though you were a mortal man. Today you ascend to something greater."

"And what's that?" Link was desperate to know. "What is this knowledge you will impart to me?"

The skeleton raised its left hand, still clutching the mighty blade, into the air.

"I will teach you how to wield this power."

And the back of its fleshless hand burned with a golden light.

* * *

She waved the magical flame back and forth as it sat in her hand, wondering if the flickering light was penetrating the swirling whiteness of the snow at all. "What do we do if he doesn't come back?"

Ganondorf was sitting with his legs crossed in the snow, the only way he could avoid the tree branches jabbing at his head. "Wait until the storm clears. If it's not clear by morning, we head back down the mountain."

Midna held the light a little higher. "How long's it been?"

"Almost two hours," said Navi.

"What if he's dead?"

"He's not," Ganondorf said. His eyes were closed, his brow creased. "If he dies, I would know."

Midna swatted unenthusiastically at Navi floating around her head. "But what if he does?"

"He won't." and Ganondorf left it at that.

It was only a few minutes later that the snowstorm died down, with a suddenness that was uncanny. Where there had previously been an impenetrable wall of white, there was now a clear path to the network of caves in the side of Snowpeak mountain.

Midna couldn't help but startle a little when Link coalesced out of this sudden calmness, seeming to appear out of nowhere and traipse his way through the snow towards them.

"Hi," Link said.

"Goddesses. Where the hell have you been?" Midna snapped back.

"We were worried you had run into trouble." Ganondorf explained.

"Not trouble, exactly…" he trailed off.

"Then what?"

Link traced the back of his left hand with his fingers. The now-familiar sense of unstoppable power flowing through him, the new knowledge of control. "There really are gods on this mountain."

Ganondorf laughed. "You doubted me?"

"It's a very big thing to believe."

"Look!" Navi shouted suddenly. The blizzard that had so dramatically hindered visibility on the mountainside was ceasing; light flakes of snow now drifted to the ground where previously there had been a punishing hail.

The cave that Ganondorf had mentioned lay straight ahead, only a few hundred yards further up the mountain.

It was a matter of minutes now to work their way through the deep snow and into the dark crevice in the mountainside, now that the punishing winds and blinding sleet had dissipated. The hellish intensity of the storm had been bizarre, and the speed with which it vanished was nothing short of miraculous.

Link was convinced that the strange entity he had met out on the mountainside really was one of the gods that Ganondorf spoke of. It had been here, waiting, for a thousand years, only for him.

This knowledge chilled him to the bone, a chill that the burning power in his blood did nothing to dissipate. If the ancient god had been correct, then the entire universe hinged on his actions. And Zelda's. And Ganondorf's. Thousands of years of history, millions of lives- irrelevant.

He did not want to believe it. But what choice did he have? The proof was within him.

Ganondorf stopped at the mouth of the cave, a blue cavern rife with thick daggers of ice as solid as rock. He tapped Link on the shoulder. "You must be strong."

Snapped out of his daze, he at first didn't realize what Ganondorf was talking about. "Hm?"

"The wisdom of the Gods. It is no easy thing to bear, but the burden is necessary. The things they tell you will shock you, down to your very soul. They will threaten to tear you apart. But you must be strong."

"What did they tell you?" Link asked.

"You will find out. It… it nearly destroyed me. And it did destroy Princess Zelda. But Courage will not falter. I believe in you, Link."

He was oddly touched to have Ganondorf's trust. Link knew that it was not something the man bestowed often upon others.

"And I believe you will forgive me," Ganondorf said too, but the wind carried these words away before they reached Link's ears.

"What were you and the boss talking about?" Navi floated above their heads, illuminating the icy passageway ahead. Ganondorf had fallen into silence, and trudged along behind them, staring at the ground. His breath had begun to condense at the edges of his beard and freeze solid, so that his face was ringed in white. He looked old and tired.

"The gods," Midna answered Navi's question. "He was telling you about the gods on top of the mountain, wasn't he?"

"Well… yes, I suppose," Link said.

She scowled. "Tell me, are the gods only meant to speak to you? And Ganondorf?"

Link thought this was very possible, but he had a feeling that it wasn't the answer Midna wanted to hear. "I don't know."

"Because I would certainly like a word or two with these so-called gods. And they're going to hear from me whether they like it or not."

Seeing Midna like this depressed Link even further. Surely the gods would not have created the world if they only meant for its inhabitants to live their lives like puppets, completely devoid of power or free will.

He began to fear the revelations that awaited him at the mountain's peak.

* * *

_The howling blizzard was undoubtedly magical in nature. Its whiteness was so complete, so total that a hapless traveler could wander the mountainside for days without ever escaping the colorless void._

_She was no hapless traveler. The power inside her resonated, guiding her. Calling her._

_Zelda was no stranger to cold. She was no stranger to solitude. The lonely spires far atop the city of Hyrule were furnished with plenty of both._

_So she stood, unflinching against the gale, letting the wind whip and tear her hair, her clothing, her skin. She took a step forward, hesitantly, feeling the swirling complexity of the enchantment. A thing of beauty. Beyond even her ability._

_But not for long._

_The magic of the Triforce guided her through the magical storm, allowing her to gradually proceed along the one true path to the mountain's peak. The wind grew more and more intense, the hail more stinging, as she progressed with agonizing slowness. It had been a very long time since Zelda had felt real pain. Since the cold of a wintry gust had pierced her skin and chilled the bone._

_This magic was strong, indeed._

_It was like walking through a waterfall when she finally reached the edge of the enchantment. Stepping out of a solid wall of whiteness, Zelda found herself atop of Snowpeak, in the eerie stillness of the storm's eye._

"_So the Second of Three seeks counsel," said a voice, and it was in a strange language that she had never heard before._

_But she knew it, and she replied in kind. "It is not counsel I seek, O god of the mountaintop."_

_The god craned its ancient scaled head forward. "No. You seek wisdom. Knowledge. Just as the First of you sought power."_

_Zelda shook off the gauntlet covering her hand, and removed the slender white glove beneath. She held up her bare hand, not even feeling the frigid air now, and showed the deity the golden mark there. "I have been the ruler of this land since its creation. At first I thought I was mortal, just like any other man or woman. But I was wrong. Then I believed that I was gifted, exceptionally talented in the ways of magic. That, too, was incorrect. I learned that I was blessed, a chosen servant of the gods, granted their power and placed in this world to serve them."_

_The god shifted itself on the mountaintop, a movement that crumbled away part of the stone. Despite its heavenly origins, it was very much a physical being. "And were you correct, then, Princess Zelda?"_

"_No." The Triforce shone with light, and a ripple of power radiated outwards from her palm. For a moment- only for a moment- the storm on the mountain ceased, and Zelda could see the ancient one in all his glory._

_His fiery countenance peered down at her._

"_You are here to serve me."_

_The deity was briefly shocked into silence. The he began to laugh, a slow rumbling chuckle that echoed in the storm's ferocity and shook the mountainside. "You are very different from when we last met, Princess Zelda."_

"_I do not believe we have met before," she said. _

"_Oh," he said. "You are mistaken."_

_The god had long known his role in this celestial dance, and so he took no satisfaction in the fact that his revelation shook the unflappable princess to the very core of her being. An ordinary mortal might have, but the fact was that the old god had known exactly how this meeting would play out, and he had known for a very, very long time._

* * *

The storm had picked up again at the top of the mountain with the same blinding ferocity. Link, Midna, and Ganondorf took shelter for the night beneath one of the rocky outcrops below the approach to the summit, sheltered from the full brunt of the weather by the overhang above them. A magical barrier kept the wind and snow from invading further.

Midna also conjured a magical fire, and slumped down in front of it staring pensively into the flames.

"Link." The Gerudo King seemed to tire as they neared the mountain peak, suddenly lacking the determination that had carried them so very far from Hyrule

He turned to Ganondorf. "What is it?"

"When the morning comes, it will be only a short trek up to the mountain's summit. Midna and I will wait here. You must go on alone."

"What?" said Link.

"What!" shouted Midna.

"I have already spoken with the god that lives there. He is waiting for you, Link, for you and nobody else."

Midna was furious. "That's too bad, because I'm going up anyways!"

"I forbid it."

"Don't think you can boss me around," she said threateningly, leaping to her feet. It was almost bizarre, seeing her tower over him as he slumped against the icy rock.

"I did not mean to," he said quietly. "Please listen to me, Midna. Nothing good awaits you at the top of this mountain."

"Well, I'm going anyway," she said. "There are things I need to know. I didn't travel all this way just to provide moral support."

"So be it." And Ganondorf spoke no more on the matter.

Link was unsure of any of them were able to sleep that night, save Navi, who curled up safely in one of the pouches on Ganondorf's rucksack well within the radius of light and warmth provided by the fire.

He lay awake staring into the whirling snowflakes, waiting for the morning to come. He'd been on edge ever since they set foot on Snowpeak and now, so close to the summit, he could feel the thickness of magic in the atmosphere. God or no, something incredibly old and powerful lay at the summit of Snowpeak mountain.

* * *

The dawn came sooner than he would have liked and, after a silent breakfast, Link set off for the summit.

He walked alone. Midna watched him go but made no move to accompany him.

As soon as he passed through the magical barrier Ganondorf had erected over their campsite, he was blasted with a gust of frigid wind so strong that it nearly knocked him over.

He trod forward, upward. This magic was different from the storm on the lower slopes, somehow. Where before he had been hopelessly lost, now he walked through the snow with a keen sense of purpose. The enchantment was guiding him, urging him forward.

The storm was meant to keep intruders off the summit, but Link was no intruder. He felt as though he could close his eyes and still walk the true path upward.

Suddenly, the blizzard stopped.

Link stood in a swath of calm at the top of Snowpeak. The air was eerily still, and only a few metres behind him the blizzard still raged, the edge of the enchantment so fine that it appeared like a wall of snow.

A thick mist permeated the air, swirling and billowing and obscuring the very top of the summit.

Not mist, Link realized. Steam. The mountaintop was hot, so hot that he had already begun to sweat in his thick furs.

"And so the Third of Three seeks counsel," boomed a voice. Link did not know the language, but he understood all the same. It was almost as if the words were inside his head, as absurd as that sounded.

Link sank to one knee. "I offer my greetings to you, O god of the mountaintop," he said. In front of him, a dark shape moved through the mist, enormous and hulking. "I am Link, a humble warrior."

"Why do you come to this place, Link the Hero?"

_Hero._ "Truthfully, I know not. I was bid come here by Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, to seek an audience with the god who dwells here."

"You have found him." The voice was not loud, but _enormous_. It shook the wet rock beneath his feet. "As you were destined to do."

_Like the skeletal hero below_, he thought. "There is one thing I do want to know. You speak of destiny. Am I just a plaything of the gods? A puppet bound to their will?"

Laughter boomed atop the peak once more. "You are no puppet, O Bearer of Courage. Rather it is I, and my ilk, who are bound by fate."

Link stepped forward, up the gentle incline, closer to the mysterious deity. "What do you mean? There is so much I don't understand."

A rumbling sigh. "You speak of destiny. Of free will. The truth is so much greater and more terrible than you could possibly comprehend, O Hero, at least the way you are now."

It was, to the best of his knowledge, the first time a god had ever called him stupid. "Try me."

An ancient, noble visage loomed from the mist. Scaled and bearded, wreathed in flame. The god of then mountaintop was a dragon.

Link, despite himself, started at the sheer majesty of the beast- one of the great serpent's eyes was as tall as a full-grown man.

"Power has come to this place," the dragon said, "As has Wisdom. Both carry within them secrets, terrible and dark. But you are different, Link, Bearer of Courage. You are honest. Pure. Noble. I can spare you this torment. If you ask how to restore peace to Hyrule, to end the reign of the cold Princess and the war of the fiery King, I will give you this knowledge."

"No," Link, said immediately, "No, I want to know everything. I will bear this Triforce and any trials that-"

"HEY!"

A sudden blast of cold air shattered the calm as Midna's shrill voice rang out across the mountaintop.

"Who dares?" the dragon roared, this time in plain Hylian rather than some ancient tongue. "Who dares violate the sacred sanctuary of Valoo, god of the mountains and the sky? Who dares interrupt this most holy of counsels?"

She was striding furiously towards Link and the enraged dragon, her eyes alive with fire, her long red hair whipping about her face in the suddenly gusty mountaintop.

"I dare!"

"Midna, NO!" Link shouted. "Turn back!"

"Shove it." She told him. Looking up at the dragon, she said, "You listen here. I have had it up to here with all this superstitious nonsense. Now are you gonna tell me how to kill Zant and Zelda? Or am I gonna beat you up first?"

She had managed to shock both Link and Valoo the mountain god into silence.

"You are quite interesting, stubborn Twili." The dragon stared her down. "To summon the willpower to break through the enchantment around this peak, and to presume to threaten me!"

"Don't harm her," Link said. He'd meant it as a request, but when he said it he was surprised to find that it came out as a command.

"Very well then, O Twilight Princess. If you believe you are worthy, then you may partake of the same revelation as The Triforce Bearers."

"No," Link shouted. "Don't do it, Midna!"

"Shut up," she said. Then she looked up at Valoo. "I am no god's plaything." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything. "I will destroy Zant the Usurper. I will destroy the tyrant Zelda. No one, god or mortal, will stop me."

The silence seemed to last forever, broken only by the increasing howl of the wind. Midna's hair swished back and forth, vibrant red spattered with flecks of snow.

"See the truth of what you are," the dragon said. "See the truth of the world."

* * *

Link was a child.

Small, and alone, and surrounded by water. The sun above him burned his face, his hands, and the back of his neck, stifling him in the clothes he'd received for his birthday.

He had water, but refrained from taking a drink. The small cask, half-full, had to last him the remainder of the journey to the great tower that had risen out of the sea, a trip he estimated at two days. At the very least.

Not for the first time he entertained the idea of plunging into the sea, of letting the cool waves of the ocean envelop him and sweeping away the awful, awful heat.

Again, he reminded himself. The water was poison, deadly to drink. The green and blue waters were in reality black depths, crushing cold darkness waiting to press the breath from his lungs.

A lone gull wheeled overhead. The horizon was nothing but water, an endless expanse of shimmering sea reflecting the bright light of the sun overhead. Broken only by the tower, rising before him, looming larger and larger with each passing day.

Did it go all the way up to the sky? He wondered.

Did it go all the way down to the ocean floor?

* * *

A dream…

A dream that had continued past waking, and had bled into reality.

Link struggled to see through the torrential downpour. He could just make out the stone façade of Hyrule castle further up the road, although it looked to be a ways away yet.

Had his uncle heard it too? The mysterious voice in his head, somewhere between the waking world and the dream world?

He almost slipped on the wet stone of the bridge. Hyrule Castle was crawling with soldiers, patrolling the battlements and the courtyard in their heavy suits of armour. Their exhalations were plumes of steam that rose from their helmets into the cold, damp air of the night.

His vision wavered, briefly, and suddenly he was hearing the voice again. Only he wasn't _hearing_ it, not really. It was almost like he was _thinking_ it.

_Help me… I am in the dungeon of the castle…_

And, as if it was right in front of him, he saw it. A concealed passageway, hidden amongst the undergrowth outside the castle walls.

The vision faded into the blurry, wet reality, but Link was convinced that it was real. The voice inside his head hadn't been his own… it had been a girl's voice, scared and alone. Somebody was in trouble; his uncle had heard it too.

Soon he found the secret passage, a dark hole in the ground choked with leafy branches. Just like the vision had promised.

Link took a deep breath to steady himself, and then dropped down into the pit.

* * *

He sank to his knees atop Snowpeak, momentarily aware enough to realize what was happening. More and more memories passed before his eyes, recollections of events that had never happened to him and yet that he could recall as clear as day.

Behind him, Midna was screaming.

* * *

She was cold.

It was a strange sort of coldness, the kind that somehow burned. Like frostbite. As he raced desperately toward the castle, his paws churning up mud and grass, the imp on his back grew colder and colder, and the chill grew in him, as well.

As a man, he may have attributed the coldness to the deluge of rain, or the howling wind, or even the darkness of the night itself. But a wolf had more senses than a man, and the strange magic that worked its way through Midna was something unnatural.

What had Zant said? "You will never be more than a shadow in their world."

It wasn't meant to happen. The shadow had mingled with the light, and it was killing her.

Link ran faster, bounding towards the castle and the one person who would know how to help the dying imp.

Towards the princess Zelda.

* * *

Zelda.

A few weeks ago, he hadn't even known she existed. Hadn't known _anything_ existed outside of the forest.

But then his fairy had come to him. And he had left the forest behind, maybe forever, to come to this strange place made of stone and filled with people. The Deku Tree, with his dying words, had beseeched Link to carry the strangely glowing stone to her, and now he had done so.

All of this he thought in the time it took the princess to turn around and gasp softly at the sight of him.

She was a child not much older than Link himself, but for a moment he saw her as something else, as a sage, ancient and wise.

Then the princesses' eyes widened, and she smiled, and they were two children standing together in the quiet palace garden.

Her eyes were a glassy blue. Like deep waters.

* * *

Atop the cold mountain, Link saw himself live a thousand lives, die a thousand deaths- some glorious, some ignominious, some quiet and peaceful, others hellish and bloody.

He saw himself ride across Hyrule a thousand times, although it was not always the same Hyrule.

He saw himself share a thousand first kisses, look up to a thousand fathers and down on a thousand daughters and sons, cross blades with a thousand foes and feast at the side of a thousand friends.

Each life was different, unique, but in many ways the same. And so he saw the same mummer's routine perform itself a thousand times, each with himself helplessly in the lead role.

* * *

His hands gripped the haft of the sword that had sat in the stone for a thousand years, the grip unstained by sweat or blood or grime. He knew at once that the sword would come free for him; it was meant to be his.

He tightened both hands around the blade and pulled, raising the sacred weapon high in the air-

* * *

Retching seawater, Link inhaled great greedy gasps of air. His vision swam before him, and his head was throbbing agony. He could still feel the water in his lungs as continued to cough and hack, too weak even to lift his head from the wet sand of the beach.

Dimly he became aware of someone tugging at his shoulder, and a voice. A familiar voice, urging him to wake.

Unconsciousness loomed at the edge of his perception. Before he sank back down into sleep, he looked up at the mountain that rose above the horizon. A single peak, and atop it, some strange round thing.

An egg?

* * *

And now he was lying in sand again, but this sand was hot and dry, and the voice urging him up was no kind saviour, but Midna's familiar chiding.

Link's hands sank into the fine sand of the Gerudo Desert as he lifted himself to his feet and dusted his tunic off. He took a quick sip from his canteen to wash the dryness out of his mouth, and then looked around him.

The dunes stretched as far as he could see. The wastes were uninterrupted, except for a tiny irregularity at the edge of his vision. Spires rising above the desert, some sort of structure-

* * *

-Impossibly huge.

The pyramid was taller than even the mountain range in the distance, and the enormous blocks that comprised could never have been moved without the aid of magic.

Link was still struggling to grasp the reality of what had happened to him. It was only minutes ago that he had been in Aghanim's tower, locked in mortal combat with the dark wizard, and now he was here.

But where was here, exactly?

The sky was a hellish orange, and the scent of smoke and blood hung heavy in the air. Far, far below him, at the foot of the great pyramid, strange creatures prowled beneath gnarled branches.

He had been transported to a whole other world-

* * *

-A parallel version, shadow in the place of light.

The dark mirror of himself stepped slowly forward, where before there had only been a wizened old sage and, for one tantalizing moment, the Triforce of Courage itself. His doppelganger settled into a combat stance, and Link did the same-

* * *

The memories blurred together now, coming faster and faster. Valoo the dragon watched calmly as Link's world shattered around him.

* * *

-He swept the cap off his head, allowing the wind to ruffle his hair as the train chuffed along towards the castle. Link often wondered, as he rode the rails, what it would be like to fly. To see the same Hyrule, but from miles above-

* * *

-And he was flying, urging his feathered mount ever higher. The world below was lost now in the clouds, impossibly distant, and even Skyloft was little more than a pinpoint far beneath him. For a moment, it was as if he flew on his own, and there was no bird holding him up as he climbed, ever skyward-

* * *

-Except the sky was now below him, and the ground above. His mind rejected what his eyes were seeing, and he clung to whatever handhold he could find.

When, after a few moments, he did not fall screaming into either the Ikana canyon overhead, or the infinite blue below him, he tentatively let go. The entire temple had, incredibly, been flipped on its head.

It made him sick to look at. Tentatively, he put one step forward-

* * *

-And a ring of flames leapt up behind him. He heard the princess gasp in horror, and a great grinding sound, and then the wreckage of Hyrule castle exploded.

_He_ rose from the ruins, all power and fury and wreathed in flame, the golden insignia of the Triforce shining with blinding intensity-

* * *

-And with the silver arrows still in his heart, the beast kept coming. Link slashed at the hand wielding the massive trident, scoring the flesh deeply with the Master Sword, but nothing seemed to harm this beast, this nightmarish creation of flesh and magic powered by the black heart and soul of a man-

* * *

-A man broken. The old one's eyes had turned wild, and he was blind with fury as he lunged and parried with Link in the fury of the storm. The rain continued to fall, a deluge of salt water unlike anything he had ever seen. The world was ending around them; they were going to die, all of them, and still the three of them fought atop the tower. One last battle, a madman raging in impotent fury at the dying world-

* * *

-As smoke and flame rose in a dark plume from the shattered castle, and as the sun set across the blood-red plains of Hyrule, the King of Thieves raised a mailed fist high into the air. Link saw Midna's helm in his hand, saw it shatter and crumble into nothingness, and his heart sank. She was dead, the greatest friend he had ever known, and the tyrant breathed still-

* * *

The visions had ceased.

"Now do you understand, O Hero?" The dragon said. "Now do you see the truth of this world? Of what you are? Of your true destiny?"

Link felt like he had just run a hundred miles. Like he had fought an army of foes by himself. He was breathing so hard that he could not even speak. Never in his life ahd he felt so exhausted, so absolutely drained.

Behind him, he heard Midna's agonized moans, punctuated with the sound of sobbing. He wondered dimly what she had seen.

"With this revelation, the truth behind the Triforce, the Three Bearers, and the Goddesses are placed before you. I may provide no further counsel."

Link struggled to his feet, his mind attempting feebly to comprehend what he had just seen. His head was a whirling maelstrom of emotion, and one above all rose to the surface.

Rage. The cold, righteous fury that had possessed him on the nights of those great battles, in his other lives. Lives that were every bit as real as the one he was living now.

In his memories, he saw every single betrayal, every single lie, every single ruthless murder and bloody coup. He took a thousand wounds, watched the people and land that he loved put to the sword, and looked into those eyes and saw nought but evil.

For throughout all his lives, all his adventures and battles, one face rose from the flames again and again. One man, tearing across the great green fields of Hyrule and leaving a swath of destruction in his wake. One king, ruling over a kingdom of ash and death.

One enemy bound to him, forever, by cruel fate.

Ganondorf.

* * *

Out of all 19 so far, this particular chapter was easily the most difficult to write. I hope the reasons why are self-evident after you've read it. A lot of people referred to this story as an alternate-universe fic, but I don't consider it to be so. As Valoo the dragon so dramatically reveals, _Sacred Reliquary_ is intended to fit within the Zelda canon and timeline, encompassing all of the games in the series.

This chapter marks another significant turning point in the plot, and probably the two-thirds mark of the story. I'm aiming to have this finish at around 30 chapters, give or take one or two. I'm pretty excited to finally finish it, a lot of the upcoming events have been in my head since before I even began to write Chapter 1. Shit's about to get real.

I'm not going to publish that Harry Potter story until this one is done, by the way.


	20. Chapter 20

20

Old Enemies. Afternoon Tea. The Princess's Gift.

* * *

The change was almost imperceptible, but it was there nonetheless.

As Ganondorf sat in quiet meditation before the embers of the dying fire, he felt the enchantment that enveloped the mountain's peak quietly dissolve. Looking about him, the snow no longer seemed to be falling quite so blindingly, and the cold mountain air seemed to have less of a bite to it.

He rose, and waited.

He did not have to wait long. It was mere minutes before Link emerged from the foggy whiteness, his face dark with anger.

Ganondorf made no move to defend himself when he slid the hunting knife from its sheath and pressed it against his throat. Link had to reach up above his head to do it. "You lied to me," he said.

"Link!" Navi shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Out of necessity," Ganondorf could feel the cold steel biting into his neck. "I only meant-"

"Necessity?" Link was the calmest of them. To see him so disturbed was unsettling, even to Ganondorf. "Are people just tools to you, Ganondorf? Am I?"

"You cannot look me in the eye and tell me that, the very first day you arrived in Hyrule, telling you everything you know now would not have been a bad idea."

"You were looking out for my best interests, weren't you?" Link laughed hollowly. "Were you looking out for my _best interests _when you had that bird throw me into the sea? When you possessed Zelda and forced me to fight her? What about then?"

Ganondorf remembered the evils of his past life, but to hear Link name them was still an unpleasant shock. "I have done terrible things. That I cannot deny. But Link, you _must_ believe me, I swear-"

"What good is your word?" Link hissed. "What good, when I've watched you swear hundreds of oaths and toss them aside? If you think I'm going to trust you, after keeping this hidden from me, then-"

"Would you two shut up?" They turned to see Midna watching them sullenly. "I'm cold. I'm leaving."

Link removed the dagger from Ganondorf's throat. "...It would be best to be as far down the mountain as possible before nightfall. We can discuss things once we are back in Kasuto." Ganondorf rubbed the spot on his neck where the blade had sliced a shallow cut.

Although he reluctantly agreed, Link still made certain that Ganondorf was walking in front of him as they started down towards the caves, and kept his bow strung and in hand.

They plodded down the narrow path in the side of the mountain in silence, save for Navi's unanswered questions. "What were you guys fighting about?" she asked, riding on Link's shoulder. "Are you mad at Ganondorf for some reason? Are you not going to be friends any more?"

He ignored her. As the enchanted storm continued to dissipate, the impenetrable whiteness surrounding Snowpeak mountain was giving way to clear mountain air and a bright blue sky.

Ahead of him, Ganondorf stopped suddenly. Link drew an arrow from his quiver.

Midna turned to look back and forth between them. "What is it now?"

"DOWN!" Ganondorf roared, but Link was already facedown in the snow.

The arrows sizzled overhead, swathed in flames. They snuffed out briefly as they sank into the thick deposits of ice that hung over the ridge, but then exploded in a blossom of fire and magic.

"Fire arrows!" Ganondorf signalled up. "They're trying to trigger an avalanche!"

For a moment Link could not see the archers against the glare of the snow and ice, but then Rusl moved as he nocked another arrow and the sun lit up his gilded armour.

The Commandant and his team of archers had scaled their way up to a desolate ledge of rock, one that overlooked the path to the summit. A deep, dark crevasse lay between them.

Link estimated about twenty bows, but as for how many of them were firing enchanted arrows, he could not say.

As quickly as he could, he stood and fired back. The distance between the two outcrops was great, and Link was stronger and more skilled than the soldiers. His arrow pierced the breastplate of a man who promptly toppled forward into the cold abyss while their shots sailed above his head.

"Don't let them bury us!" Ganondorf lobbed balls of energy at Rusl, who barely deflected them with his sword.

Link grabbed Midna's shoulder. "Midna. Can you refreeze the ice they're melting?"

"I got fire," she said. "I don't got ice."

Rusl took aim with another of his fire arrows. Ganondorf stood, magic crackling in his hands.

An arrow, either well-aimed or lucky, buried itself in his neck.

"Hkk." A wet spluttering noise came out of his throat as his hand leapt up to clutch at the wound. Another shot thumped into his chest, and another embedded itself in his arm.

"Boss!" Navi yelled as Ganondorf collapsed.

"Damn it," Link and Midna were pinned down. "Any ideas?"

She lobbed a fireball back at the soldiers. "We're in trouble here."

Ganondorf, it seemed, was not about to be felled by a stray arrow. He tore the shaft out of his throat, leaving his neck a bloody ruin.

"Good Goddesses," Midna whispered.

He was panting heavily, blood pooling in the snow beneath him. The Triforce on his hand shone. Slowly, agonizingly, Ganondorf hauled himself to his feet.

More arrows pierced his chest, but he ignored them. His olive skin was literally glowing now, sparking and hissing with barely suppressed energy.

"Run!" Link yelled, certain that, regardless of what was about to happen, it wouldn't be good.

Ganondorf screamed, a drawn-out cry of agony and rage as he channelled impossible amounts of magic through his body. Link could feel the power vibrating the foundations of the very mountain itself. Searing light poured from Ganondorf's hands as he obliterated the shelf of rock that harboured Rusl and his men, sending soldiers tumbling into the abyss below.

"He's bringing down the whole damn mountain!" Midna cried, clutching on to Link. Chunks of stone and ice were breaking off from the ridge above them, and the rock beneath their feet was becoming increasingly unstable.

"Get into the caves," Link pulled Midna to her feet.

"What about Ganondorf?"  
"Leave him, let's go!"

She wrenched herself free of his grasp and ran to Ganondorf, who was still enveloped in a maelstrom of light.

"Boss, we have to go!"

A piece of ice the size of a small building broke off from the shelf upon which they were standing, with a _crack_ like a whip. Shards of ice and stone sprayed out from the ground below his feet.

Across the gap, the few men opposite had survived Ganondorf's assault were fumbling for arrows and stringing their bows.

One more arrow pierced Ganondorf, and the outpouring of magic ceased as he collapsed in a heap. Commandant Rusl reached for another, but it was too late.

The very mountainside was collapsing. Link turned to flee.

"Link!" Midna was trying desperately to lift Ganondorf to his feet, but he was far too heavy for her.

"You have to leave him!"

"No, I-"

The path between them shattered as a torrent of debris cascaded down the mountainside. The rock where Link had been standing moments ago broke into nothingness and vanished below.

The last thing he saw was Midna's face as she watched him run for the caves. She didn't look angry, or sad, or even resolute. Only confused.

* * *

"Sit down, you're far too uptight. Come on. Have a biscuit." Vaati waved the cookie at Zant, and then tossed it in his face. It was burnt to a cinder before it could hit him. "You're not fun. Would it kill you to relax once in a while?"

"I must never rest," the Twili breathed. "I must remain vigilant, unceasing, until I have had my vengeance."

"Vengeance? First I've time I've heard of anything of the sort. Have you ever mentioned this before?" Vaati rolled his eyes and plucked an olive from the spread in front of him. "Princess, have you tried this cheese? A work of art."

Zelda sipped delicately at her tea. A stray snowflake settled in the teacup when she set it down, floating briefly on the surface of the steaming drink before melting into nothingness. "I shall instruct the kitchens to send a wheel of it up to your quarters. You do so love to indulge, Vaati."

The diminutive mage, never one for manners, spit the stone of the olive over the edge of the balcony, where it plummeted untold stories to the rooftops below. "And why not? Such an endless icy existence as yours would never suit me, Princess. No, I'll enjoy my food, wine, and women, and rest comfortably in a hole in the ground when it's all said and done."

They supped at the top of the highest tower in Hyrule, a great spire that climbed above the very clouds themselves, although on a clear day such as this one could see the entirety of the known world from their lofty perch. Vaati's breath swirled into mist in the thin air, and a sparse few flakes of snow eddied and whirled about their heads, despite the cloudless weather.

"I must say, don't you find it rather cold up here?" Chancellor Cole asked plaintively. His own tea had gone ice-cold.

"Freezing," Vaati said, cutting himself a piece of some rare animal or other.

"Oh." Cole looked into his drink, which had begun to ice over.

Zant was staring into the north. "Do you hear it?" he asked.

"Hear what?" Cole cupped a hand to his ear, unsure what he was listening for.

"You look a fool, Cole," said Zelda's fourth guest. "It's magic that's on the wind."

Veran. Vaati couldn't help but feel uneasy around her, despite himself. He often wondered whether she was magically inclined or just very clever. Veran was the leader of Hyrule second most notorious criminal outfit, and they were renowned for having none of the scruples of their Gerudo counterparts.

Few people knew that Veran was also in the employ of Princess Zelda. Fewer still were aware of the extent to which the princesses' control over her city and her subjects extended.

Now that Veran mentioned it, Vaati could feel... something. A distant swell of magic, horribly powerful. And, carried on the wind, blood and steel and stone.

Zelda breathed deeply of the northern wind. "Chancellor Cole mentioned something to me not long ago."

"I... I did?" Cole stammered.

"Yes. A pressing concern for the safety of our citizens, and an intolerance of some less savory elements of our fair city."

"Oh," Cole bobbed his head up and down so rapidly Vaati feared it would topple off his shoulders. "Yes, that's right... I did."

She peered to the north, listening to the swirling of that wind. And, perhaps, even something Vaati could not hear. He saw the Princesses' hand clench reflexively. "I want the Gerudo destroyed. Completely. Hunt them down, every last member. Cut their throats, throw them in the river, I care not."

Veran bowed. "It will be done, your Highness."

"Vaati. Zant."

The Twili mage snapped out of his vengeful reverie. The only person who could command his attention of late was Zelda.

"Link will return to Hyrule soon. I will need to know when."

"It shall be so."

Zelda delicately shaved off a slice of the cheese that Vaati had recommended, to go with her tea. She turned her attention back to the northern horizon, where the lofty mountain peaks rose into the sky, as high as the tower where they now sat.

"Princess," Vaati said, when it became apparent that Zelda was going to say nothing more.

"What is it, Vaati?"

"What of Link's travelling companions? A pair of vagabonds, I believe, what were their names...? Ah, yes. Ganondorf and Midna? I certainly hope you hadn't forgotten."

Zelda, ignoring his antagonism, did not avert her gaze from the distant mountain range. "Did you not feel it on the wind?"

How this constituted an explanation escaped him. "A breeze often means nothing, your Highness. Should I choose to summon a gale and sweep Chancellor Cole over the edge of this lovely balcony, would you take that for a portent as well?"

Chancellor Cole hung on to the table very tightly.

Zelda's cold lips smiled a smile that would have been charming on another woman. "The Gerudo King and the Twilight Princess will be of no concern. Destiny is on the wind, Vaati. Destiny, and the will of the Gods."

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Kasuto. The lazy calm of the town was a welcome relief after his breakneck flight down Snowpeak as chunks of the mountain continued to give way, wiping away the path to the summit for good.

Link found his way to the inn and slumped into a chair, tearing into a haunch of mutton and trying to forget the expression that was on Midna's face as he'd abandoned her and Ganondorf.

_You didn't abandon her. There was nothing you could do_.

He felt bad about Midna, but could summon no remorse for leaving Ganondorf to the chaos he had created. He'd believed the Gerudo to be one of his few friends in this strange version of Hyrule, but Ganondorf had done nothing but mislead and manipulate him.

Every time he began to feel bad, he would relive the pain of the great tines of the trident piercing his side again, or recall how it had felt to be on the receiving end of one of those magical bolts. No, he decided, Ganondorf had not redeemed himself in Link's eyes. An eternity of atrocities must be answered for.

"Are you going to leave me behind, too?"

The voice startled Link right out of his chair, drawing curious stares from the other patrons. "Navi! You followed me?"

"You said that we had to go." The little fairy was huddled in one of his pockets, where she had hidden during his mad journey down the mountainside. She fluttered out onto the table now. "What are we going to do about Ganondorf and Midna? We have to go rescue them."

"I... I'm not going back up there."

She looked confused. "Well, what are you going to do?"

He realized how aimless he was without Ganondorf to make decisions. Another manipulation he hadn't noticed. "I... I don't know."

"Well we have to do something!"

_Do I_? Right now Link just felt tired. He'd relived this same story a thousand times on the mountain's summit, and right now he felt as if the Gods could just go on and figure things out without him. He suddenly wanted no part of Hyrule, of the Nameless, of the Triforce, and least of all of Zelda or Ganondorf.

He polished off the last of his meal, paid the innkeeper, and then wandered over to the stables, with Navi bobbing alongside him the whole way. Their horses were still inside, right where they had left them after their arrival in Kasuto only two nights ago. Epona waited in the stall between Ganondorf's massive black destrier and Midna's sickly-looking mount.

He stroked his old friends' mane, whispering comforting words to Epona as he fed her a carrot. Then he saddled her up and rode out of Kasuto, leaving the northern mountains behind him for good.

Because they had destroyed the southern pass to the plains, Link was forced to use the only other road out of town, which headed westwards before bending south-east around the foothills of Snowpeak. The road was oft-travelled and beaten into mud, and curved its way alongside a mountain stream and through thick pine forests.

As he rode, Link tried to decide what direction of the compass he ought to try. He had a mind to strike east as soon as he was south of the mountain range, keeping away from both the great forest and the city of Hyrule. What he would find, he did not know. It would be an adventure, like the time one version of him had ridden out of Hyrule and stumbled into the alternate dimension of Termina.

Chasing Navi the fairy, he recalled with no small amount of amusement. Well, he had her with him now. The tiny ball of light had followed him in his flight down the mountain, in his ride out of Kasuto, and now seemed to be with him for good.

"Watch out!" she chimed suddenly, interrupting his musings.

Where the road opened up onto the great plains, it passed through another narrow pass where Snowpeak's western side met up against one of the lesser mountains beside it. Here the thoroughfare narrowed to perhaps ten or twelve metres wide at the narrowest point, between a wall of stone and the mountain stream, widening now into one of the tributaries that fed the river Hylia.

There was a rider waiting at the pass.

Link narrowed his eyes. Yes, the rider was _waiting_, there was no other word for it. He sat atop his horse keeping vigil at the narrowest part of the bottleneck, where no sentry could possibly miss any riders out of the mountains.

He had surely spotted Link by now, so there was nothing for it. He urged Epona into a canter, riding forward to meet the man guarding the pass.

"I never would have guessed, when I first met you that rainy night, that we would cross paths again in this faraway place," The rider urged his mount forward as well, revealing the lined face, worn armour, and silvery hair of Viscen. "That the Gods should see fit to take this humble old soldier and move him together with such a prominent piece in their game is baffling, isn't it? I suppose we must be so funny to them in our struggles." He smiled.

Link strung an arrow and took aim. His fingers itched to loose the shaft, to bury it deep in the traitors' heart.

"Going to kill me, Link?" Viscen did him the favour of unbuckling his rusted cuirass, baring his chest, covered only by a thin linen undershirt. "I suppose I should be glad. I've lived a long life, and such a skilled marksman as yourself cannot fail to provide me with the mercy of a quick death."

"What are you doing here?" Link asked him. They were far enough away that he had to raise his voice, but not far enough to shout. Link would be able to shoot him three, maybe four times should he try to flee. Or charge.

Navi fluttered overhead. "Why'd you do it, Viscen?" she pleaded, "Why'd you have to betray us? I thought you were our friend!"

"I was," he said. "Come on. Cease this farce, Link. Put your bow away. Ride with me."

"Don't do it, Link, he'll kill you!"

Viscen rebuckled his armour. "And why would I do that? You think I rode all the way out here just to have a go at the Bearer of Courage, and die with an arrow in my heart? No, I come bearing a message."

Link lowered his bow. "What's the message?"

"Ride with me, and you'll find out." He turned and galloped into the rocky plains. Link, curious and throwing caution to the winds, followed.

Their conversation began strangely. "Did you know that I was the Commandant once?" Viscen said, as they struck south and west, for the great forest.

"No." How was Link to know? He hadn't known anything of the city of Hyrule until mere months ago.

"I was. Before Rusl. I taught him the ways of the blade, when he was just a young boy."

"What happened? How did you end up in the Gerudo?"

Viscen was wearing a sword now, instead of his battered old spear. "The student surpassed the master. Zelda had a tradition of keeping the greatest swordsman in the city as her Commandant, and when Rusl proved better than me she gave him my old position. That did not sit well with old Viscen, and so I defected to Ganondorf and his band of rebels."

"But it was a lie," Link said, "You were Zelda's man all along, weren't you?"

The old soldier grimaced. "I don't know if I would say that. Say this instead: That I have always remained loyal to the people of Hyrule. Everything I did, I did for the sake of peace."

Link laughed. "That doesn't change the fact that you betrayed people who trusted you."

"Oh, Ganondorf knew I was going to betray him, that night you were brought to Hyrule Castle. He told me to do it."

More lies from the Gerudo king revealed themselves. Link had been a fool to ever trust him. "He did?"

"That's right. He provoked Zelda into capturing him, and you, in order to bring the three Bearers of the Triforce together. I think he believed that it would cause the artefact itself to manifest physically, and grant him his heart's desire."

Another hazy memory. Ganondorf had done exactly that, in the sunken Hyrule beneath the Great Sea. And his desire then had been-

"Hyrule," Link said, "He wants to depose Zelda as the ruler of Hyrule."

"Do you think so?" Viscen smiled. "Ganondorf is far from flawless, I know, but I believe that there is more to him than that. You must realize, his lust for power consumed him before. I don't think he wants to be that man again."

Link thought about himself, now. Before he'd met Viscen, he'd intended to ride away from Hyrule, leaving Zelda, Ganondorf, and all their problems behind him. "I can understand the desire to be something different than what the gods have made you. To break away from destiny."

"There's merit in that, true," Viscen pulled his cloak up higher over his shoulders, as a gust of cold wind swept across the empty field. "But there is also merit in following the plan that the Creators have laid out for each of us. And really, what more could a simple soldier like myself wish for?"

Link had no response to this. They rode in silence for a bit, before Viscen began to laugh softly. "But I'm just an old man. I have no piece of any god inside me."

"Why are you here, Viscen?" Link asked, once more.

"I told you, a message. And a gift."

"You never mentioned any gift."

"The gift is from Zelda. She bid me bring it to you, as a token of friendship and good faith."

So the princess had known what he would find on the mountain. And how he would interpret it.

"The message is from me, as a friend. You look like you could use one of those right about now."

"Friends tend to be trustworthy."

He sighed. "Trust me or don't, Link, it's up to you. But my advice to you is the same either way: Do what you think is right. Don't let yourself be swayed. You have a good heart. Listen to it."

It was late in the afternoon, and it had been a long day. Seeing as there was no way he could make it to the forest before sunset, Link spotted a likely hillock that would provide decent shelter and reined Epona in, intending to make camp for the night.

"Whose side are you really on, Viscen?" he asked as he slid off the horse.

"Yours. Power and Wisdom cloud the judgment of both Zelda and Ganondorf, but you have the blessing of Courage, and it keeps you pure. I believe in you, Link. I believe that when the time comes to make the difficult decisions, you will have the strength to do the right thing."

He was beginning to feel really guilty about his abandon-Hyrule plan. "You knew I was going to ride away from all this, didn't you? You came here to talk me out of it."

"Zelda knew. And I agreed that you must return to Hyrule, although our line of thought was different in that respect, I should think. And that brings me to Her Highnesses' gift."

Viscen untied a roll of cloth from his saddlebag and handed it to Link. "Here. Nobody but you can touch it, it seems."

Link unrolled the cloth, and the greatest sword ever made thumped unceremoniously into the dirt.

It was the blade that he had carried with him when he rode into Hyrule city for the first time, a reminder of adventures long past. It was the blade that had been taken from him, that fateful night when he had been captured by Rusl and brought to the castle.

It was the same blade that had been his most faithful companion, through a thousand adventures and a thousand lives.

The sound of steel. Viscen drew his own sword, finely honed but well-used, the grip stained with blood and sweat. The old guardsman settled into a combat stance.

"It would be an honour, Link."

Link smiled at the man who had once been his friend, and maybe still was. He bent and picked up the sword that had been made for him.

Lifting the Master Sword towards the sky once more as in the days of old, he leapt forward and met Viscen's steel with his own.

* * *

Her prison was dark, and cold, and suffocating.

A thousand tonnes of earth, and rock, and snow, and ice had parted from the mountainside and cascaded down on top of her, burying Midna in this frigid tomb, where she would die.

She was probably dead already. This was probably all in her head.

Midna tried to imagine herself in a place that was nice and warm, with lots of cute boys and liquor.

It didn't work. She was still buried underneath what felt like half the goddamn mountain. So she was still alive.

She wriggled about in the snow. It was loosely packed, and yielded to her touch easily enough that she could soon carve out enough of a space to move her arms about a little bit. Enough air must have been trapped in there with her to keep her alive.

Midna tried to use her shadow magic to escape, before she remembered that she hadn't had shadow magic since Zelda had stripped her of it. But she still had fire.

Slowly, agonizingly, she began to melt away the ice that held her there, terrified that at any moment she would trigger the collapse that would crush her for good. For a bizarre couple of moments, she realized that she didn't know what way was up and had to make sure she was oriented correctly.

Soon enough, she had melted herself a decent little tunnel. Backing up as far as she could, she summoned all the magic left in her tired body and concentrated.

The blast launched chunks of ice and rock across the bottom of the pit, punching a hole through to the surface.

She crawled out of said hole and took stock of her situation. The avalanche had collapsed the entire mountainside and plunged them all into the crevasse that had been between them and the soldiers who were shooting at them. Judging by the number of swords, pieces of armour, and stray limbs that were poking out of the rubble, a significant number of Rusl's men had fallen down here as well.

Midna tugged at an arm reaching out of the snow.

"Hey, buddy, are you alive?"

The entire arm came loose, free of any body that may have been attached to it at any point in time.

"Ugh, guess not. Sorry to bother you."

She plopped down into the snow and threw the severed arm away. _Step One: Establish if there are any other survivors_.

"HELLOOOO!" She stood and yelled, "IS ANYBODY-" her voice hitched- "Is there any... anybody-"

She sat back down again, swiping at her eyes and revaluating her priorities. _Step One: Stop crying_.

_Dammit, Link_.

Once Midna got a handle on Step One and had stopped crying like some stupid silly prissy princess, which she definitely wasn't, she resumed her search.

"ANYBODY ALIVE DOWN HERE?"

She wandered past more dead soldiers. In places, the snow had been stained red and pink.

"BOSS? YOU ALIVE? GANONDORF? BIG G? ARE YOU-"

She stopped suddenly. Had that been a muffled moan she just heard?

"IF SOMEBODY JUST MADE A SOUND, PLEASE MAKE THAT SOUND AGAIN."

She was certain she heard it this time. A groan of pain, like somebody trying to yell but unable to speak. She rushed over to where she thought it had come from.

"Mndna."

Her name. She was sure she had heard it.

"Mid... na..."

She found him facedown beneath an enormous slab of ice, a part of the shelf that they had been standing on before the avalanche had destroyed it. Stray sparks of magic trickled about his body, slowly knitting his wounds shut and keeping him alive.

"Ganondorf! I knew it! I knew you weren't gonna let a little snow kill you!"

The chunk of ice pinning him down was the size of a house. Certainly not 'a little snow,' but she felt that it was important to keep his spirits up.

He beckoned her down to him. Barely able to breathe, his neck still mangled and bloody where the arrow had pierced him, Ganondorf's voice was little more than a whisper. "Did... you... call me... 'Big G?'"

"It's your new nickname. I thought we could have nicknames." She giggled wetly. "Easy, Midna," she had to remind herself. "Remember Step One."

Ganondorf shot her a confused look.

"S'nothing. I'm glad you're OK. Let me get to work."

It took the better part of the evening to melt enough of the ice to pull Ganondorf free, and the pit was nearly pitch black by the time she was done. His skin was freezing cold when he did come loose, but when she hugged him she could feel the magic pulsing deep within that great frame, his prodigious strength already returning.

Returning slowly, though. She conjured the biggest magical fire she could, and they sat at the edge of the crevasse soaking in its warmth.

"That's two you owe me," she said, after a time.

Ganondorf was still too weak to stand, or even sit upright, so he was propped up against a boulder. "Two?"

"Once for saving your life just now. And again for that time you killed me."

He stared into the fire sullenly. "You saw that?"

"I did. The god showed it to me."

He could still remember the immense power of the Fused Shadows, and the beast that Midna had become to fight him. The feeling of crushing the energy from her tiny body. Of the helm crumbling to dust between his powerful fingers.

He shuddered.

"You cold?" She looked at him.

"Fine." He stared into her face. Her fiery red hair, her bright yellow eyes. Ganondorf decided not to let her know that he could tell she'd been crying earlier. "I'm sorry," he said, because he felt it had to be said.

"What, for the killing-me thing? The gods of the light world brought me back to life, eh? In my real body. No harm done."

"For not telling you."

She smirked. "If I had murdered you in a past life, there are like six different reasons for me to not tell you. That was another you. Another me."

He nodded. He didn't know how it seemed to her, but to him it did not feel like a past life. He could remember it as clearly as his memories from yesterday.

"That's why Link ran, wasn't it?" She asked.

"I think so."

"Hmph." She tossed a snowball into the fire, watched it melt. "He should have known better."

"Help me lie down, closer to the fire. I need to sleep. The magic will make me strong again, but it will be a few days before I can travel."

With some effort, she was able to pull Ganondorf closer to the magical flame. As he closed his eyes, she sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around her legs and clutching them to her chest.

"Ganondorf."

"Yes?"

"I control my own life. Not the gods."

"That's right."

"What about you?"

"It used to be that my will was not my own. But no more."

"Ganondorf?" she said again.

"Yes?"

"The Goddesses can go to hell. Screw them, and screw their plan."

The Gerudo king laughed, a hoarse wheezing sound. "Now you understand."

* * *

I think that this is a good time to mention a few things about this story that I couldn't reveal before.

First off, I am trying to capture the essence of the games as much as possible in the story, and that includes the items that Link gets and how they will benefit him. If you recall earlier chapters, there were a few incidents where Link recieved 'items.' One example would be the bow that he's been using, or the Master Sword in this chapter. You can be certain that some of the other objects from previous chapters will have an impact soon.

Two other elements that I feel are essential parts of the Zelda games are dungeons and bosses. I've taken a very liberal interpretation with these two. Take for example the past few chapters, which comprised the ascent up Snowpeak mountain. If Snowpeak is this story's version of a 'dungeon,' then the skeletal guardian was its version of a 'boss.'

You can expect this structure to recur a couple more times throughout the _Sacred Reliquary_, but naturally I'll try to keep things as fresh and unexpected as possible.

And, oh yes, _Sacred Reliquary_ will have a final battle.


	21. Chapter 21

I'll try to update this two or three more times before November, because Skyward Sword and Skyrim will significantly cut into my productivity. November's a good month for games with the word 'sky' in the title.

* * *

21

An Old Soldier's Honour. Spirits of the Forest. A Familiar Face.

* * *

The great plains that circle the city of Hyrule are a vast emptiness, where a man can ride for days without seeing another human being. In the south, they are a lush grassland, where the days are long and sunny and the grass ripples in the wind like a great green ocean. East and west of the city, the wilds give way to countless acres of farmland, thousands upon thousands of fields sown with corn or potatoes or barley, orchards of apples, oranges, peaches, and meadows filled with quietly grazing cows and sheep and pigs.

But to the north, the ground grows hard and cold. The soil is loose and shallow, and stones poke up through the sparse layer of yellowing grass. The northern edge of the plains, where the grasslands give way to the foothills of the great mountain range, is a cold place.

A lonely place.

Link's eyes burned with sweat, but he did not dare take the time to wipe the stinging droplets from his face.

Viscen pressed forward again, his feet tracing small intricate paths across the ground as he circled and darted forward and back, moving adroitly from side to side with a speed that was born more out of skill and practice than any physical strength.

Their blades came together, and apart, again and again in a rapid flurry of flashing steel and the reflected light of the setting sun. As quick as Link could thrust the blade forward, Viscen could step to the side and counter with a slice of his own. But that strike would hit nothing but air as Link spun aside and attacked anew.

For an hour now they had been battling, and neither man bore a scratch. So supreme was their skill that the combat had been utterly flawless, like a talented pair dancers who would move inches from each other but never touch.

They circled each other at the edges of the camp.

"You fight as well as I had dreamed you would, Link." Viscen called to him. "I could not ask for a worthier foe."

Link said nothing, only keeping pace with the other man's footsteps as they turned around each other.

"It would be a noble death, an honourable one to die by your hand." Viscen looked thoughtful. "But honor and nobility, those are things for great men. And I am just an old soldier."

"First blood, then," Link shouted out. He did not want to kill Viscen, if only for the tragedy it would be to slay such a talented swordsman.

"First blood," Viscen echoed, and the battle was joined anew.

Each of them sensed the other's fatigue, and knowing that the end was close they attacked with renewed vigour. The blades sang as they cut through the air, and Link fought back a wild urge to laugh.

It was over in an instant. Viscen's foot slid on the uneven ground, and Link parried his overhanded slash. Sensing his opponent's unbalance, Link stepped forward, inside Viscen's guard, and brought the Master Sword up into the older man's side.

But Viscen was too fast, and too experienced to be thrown off. He caught Link's blade with the haft of his own, throwing it aside and then thrusting forward once; a quick, precise motion.

Viscen's old sword parted the worn cloth of Link's traveling cloak and pierced his side just below the ribs.

Link cried out and stumbled backwards, landing on his back. He dropped the Master Sword and clutched the wound with both hands, feeling the hot slickness of his own blood wetting his clothes.

Viscen dropped his sword. "You're too fast," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you that badly."

Still pressing down on the cut, Link rolled onto his knees. The sword had pierced deep and clean, opening his side neatly. He found that he could not move his body; even a slight twisting motion in his torso sent waves of fiery red agony through him.

"Navi!" Viscen shouted, "Navi, come see what you can do."

Link tugged off his cloak and pulled up the rough cloth of his shirt, wishing once more for his familiar chainmail and tunic. The wound was a deep red gash in his increasingly pale skin.

"Oh, no," Navi said, "It looks like it's pretty bad!"

"Thanks for the diagnosis," Link gritted his teeth.

"Hmm... It looks like you've cut through the muscle. I don't know if I can heal it completely..." The fairy buzzed back and forth around the cut, magic sparkling from her wings. Slowly, the bleeding stopped and the flesh began to knit.

Link watched as the gash sealed itself, leaving a angry red line where it used to be. He took a deep breath and stood.

"Agh!"

"I'm sorry, Link," Navi said, "But that's the best I can do. It was a very serious wound."

"No, thank you," he said. His side still burned like fire, and any significant motion hurt terribly.

"Come on now, Link," Viscen helped him stand up. "Let's you and I sit by the fire and talk of battles past and yet to come. Two old swordsmen." Together they hobbled tentatively to where the horses were tied, and Link sat against a rock as Viscen went about building a small campfire.

He had venison wrapped in wax paper in his saddlebag, as well as some crushed tea leaves and a kettle. Once Viscen had the tea boiling and the meat cooking, he heaved a weary sigh and sat next to Link.

"Do you have any whiskey?" Link asked him. "For the tea?"

Viscen made a disgusted face. "I have a little bit, yes, but I certainly wasn't intending to ruin a nice hot drink with it."

"Well, put some in mine then. For the wound."

"You're crazy."

"It's been one very bad day."

"Yes," Viscen nodded, stirring the fire with the tip of his sword. "Yes, it has."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the flames. Navi floated in the smoky updrafts that rose from the heat, the magic of her shining and swirling with the smoke.

"I want to ask you something, Link." Viscen sliced the roasted meat and passed Link his portion. With a look of reproach he poured a dollop of liquor into a cup of tea and handed him that as well. "A favour. A rather big one, I might add."

When Link said nothing, he continued. "I understand if you don't trust me. But if you do this thing for me, then I will swear to you my sword and my loyalty, for what an old tired man's word is worth."

"I would be a fool to accept any oath from you," Link said, without turning to look at him. "You've broken oaths to both Ganondorf and to Zelda."

"Oaths sworn on foolish things," Viscen smiled. "I swore to Gods, to Zelda the princess, and to Ganondorf the king. I swore by justice, by honour, and even by my very life, but none of these were things I held in particularly high regard. But I am sure you believe me when I tell you that I will swear by the only two things I hold to be sacred."

"And what are those?"

"My blade," he stuck the point of the old, worn sword into the hard-packed earth and bent to one knee. "And my courage, as a swordsman."

Link was oddly moved, for a moment. But then the tiredness returned to him, the weariness of a thousand lives. "A piece of metal and another meaningless word. No more."

"I know that you know a sword means more to a man than that," Viscen sighed, "And if you truly believe that courage is just a word, and not a measure of a man's worth, then I pity you. But fine. I knew you wouldn't believe me, not after what I did. But we were friends once, weren't we, Link? And our duel, was that not a worthy combat between two honourable foes? So allow me to present my request to you, at least."

Link thought for a moment. Then nodded.

Viscen smiled his sad smile again. "I know you have met my apprentice, the Commandant Rusl. I know you have fought with him, and I know that he considers you to be an honourable and worthy opponent. The two of you are very similar men. I think, that in another life, you could have been friends."

Link took a bite of the roasted venison. It was still hot from the fire, scalding his throat on the way down. "We were," he said. "In another life."

Tugging the blade out of the ground, Viscen resumed poking at the fire. "I was a young man when I taught Rusl, full of a young man's foolish ideas. Loyalty and honour and death before failure, that was what I pounded into the boy's head. And when that boy grew to be a man, those ideas grew with him."

"Those 'ideas' are what got Colin killed," Link said coldly. "A man murdered his own son because of some stupid sense of justice."

Viscen hung his head in his hands. "I know, Link. I know. But surely you know, as well, how an idea can possess a man? Consume him entirely, until it occupies his every thought, and action?"

"Ideas are dangerous things. They give people an excuse to not think for themselves."

"True, true." Viscen removed the blade from the heart of the fire and held it in front of him. In the gathering darkness, the end of it glowed a dull red with the heat of the flames. "For Rusl, I think that the concept of honour was the fire that motivated him. He has done terrible things in Zelda's name, and his honour as a knight and a loyal servant is what kept him sane. What allowed him to sleep at night. But..."

"But Colin," Link finished for him.

"The death of his son, by his own hand, was a cruel and meaningless thing. He could not rationalize it. And it changed him. He is a man consumed now, by guilt and the need for redemption. The princess intended for him to die atop the mountain, on my sword if need be. His task of hunting and killing you was a farce. The true mission, she gave to me."

"And what was that true mission?"

He gestured at the Master Sword, which lay across Link's lap. "The delivery of the sword, and her offer of friendship. My duty is completed. This favour I ask of you, this is my request alone."

Viscen hesitated for a moment, before bowing his head and saying, "Please kill Rusl. Give my apprentice the noble death that he deserves."

Link stared into the fire as it licked up the dry brush and the tough wood of the trees that grew sparsely out in the plains.

"... Why are you asking me this?"

"It is what he seeks. But he has too many scruples to take his own life. Rusl's self-destructive course has already cost the lives of too many soldiers, both the night his son died and atop Snowpeak mountain. Please, Link... let him rest."

"And why can't you do it? You have already proven yourself a greater swordsman than I."

Viscen's knuckles whitened as they gripped the stained haft of his sword. "I could never- such a monstrous betrayal... The ways of honour and chivalry have their hold on this old swordsman, too. He is like a son to me."

"Then maybe you can glimpse his pain," Link said.

Viscen clung to his blade even tighter. "No. I don't think either of us will ever fully understand that."

The sun had set fully now, and beyond the ring of light cast by the fire the world was a lonely darkness as night fell across the plains.

* * *

When Link awoke the next morning, Viscen was gone. His side still burned, but another burst of magic from Navi helped greatly and once he was up and moving about he felt a lot better.

He took a few experimental swings with the Master Sword. The wound was placed halfway up his abdomen, so that it hurt fiercely to twist his body or lift his arm too far above his head. He didn't like being unable to use his sword. He felt vulnerable.

When he mounted Epona and tried a slow trot, however, he realized that he was still perfectly capable of riding, although he'd probably need to take a break every couple hours. He could tell from her restlessness that Epona was dying to run, so he let her.

"Come on, girl! Hah!"

She broke into a gallop, streaking across the lonely grassland, the morning sun warm on Link's face and the wind cool in his hair. He rode aimlessly for a time, relishing the feeling of speeding across the landscape, before turning south towards the forest.

It wasn't a long ride, and the sun was still rising in the sky when he rode past the stunted, scattered trees that marked the edge of the forest. He made a brief stop in the shade to recuperate from the strain of the ride and his injury as well as eat some of the leftover meat from the night before and, and then continued his journey into the wood.

"Navi, when we passed through here on the way north you mentioned that the Great Fairy's fountain was in this forest."

"That's right." The fairy was sitting between Epona's ears, looking back at him.

"Ganondorf mentioned that the Great Fairy will grant a boon to travelers who seek her."

"Mm-hm! Only one, though, so you need to be careful what it is!"

There were many favours he needed done. How could he pick just one? "Take me to her."

A familiar voice echoed out of the treetops. "That won't be necessary!"

Link tugged on the reins gently, and Epona slowed to a stop.

Laughter bubbled out of the greenery, childish and cheerful. Link couldn't see Saria, but he knew she was there. "Come on out, why don't you? I think Epona missed you."

The forest girl dropped out of the trees and skipped over to pat the horse. "The Deku tree knew you would come back. I did too. You are kindred to the forest spirits."

"You seem much more cheerful this time," Link extended a hand and help Saria up onto the horse, where she sat in front of him. She was tiny, and even lighter than she looked- even with his wound it was easy to lift her up with one hand.

"That's because the other ones aren't with you."

"Midna? And Ganondorf?"

"Yes. The Deku Tree senses darkness in their hearts. They are no friends of ours."

It made Link sad to realize that perhaps they were no longer friends of his, either. His perception of Ganondorf was forever tainted, but Midna had done no evil, and he still felt guilty for abandoning her atop the collapsing mountain.

"So can you guide us back to Hyrule?"

Sari looked up over her shoulder at him. "You are in no hurry." It wasn't a question. "You will speak with the Great Deku Tree first."

More gods. It seemed that he was not done with them yet. "How far away is the Deku Tree?"

"His grove is in the center of the forest, many leagues from here. But the journey will not be long. An intruder could trek through these lost woods for years and never see another soul. A friend of the forest will find the path open before him, the fruit plentiful on the trees, and his journey quick. This is a magical place."

"I'm sure glad we're friends of the forest!" Navi bubbled.

Saria smiled at the fairy. "You two belong here. You are just and you are kind. Your spirits are at home in the forest."

"You can tell?"

She shook her head. "Not me. The Deku tree can see the true nature of all who set foot in this forest."

Link couldn't stop himself from asking. "And what of Ganondorf and Midna? Where do their spirits belong?"

Saria closed her eyes. Link didn't know if she was communing with the god of the forest, or simply gathering her thoughts. "The ancient king Ganondorf is born into death and desolation. His soul is the heat of the sun, the drought of the desert, the desperation and fear of the endless sands. This is one who seeks power, at all costs, and finds it, because without strength he is helpless."

"And Midna?"

Saria closed her eyes again. She was silent for much longer, this time. "A spirit at a crossroads, with no home. Fire, and shadow. Impotence, and rage. That is what the Great Tree sees."

As they rode deeper into the forest, the trees began to get older and taller, until they were passing ancient trunks as wide as houses. The forest canopy was high above them, through a thick network of branches, and the forest beneath was cast in a greenish gloom. A man agile enough could travel for miles through the trees, climbing from branch to branch, and never touch the ground.

He began to see strange lights flickering through the darkness of the wood, sometimes far away, sometimes just behind him. Whether they were more kokiri, or fairies, or some kind of magical guardians, he didn't know.

Saria noticed him watching the lights. "Those are the spirits of people who are lost in the forest. They wander now, forever, looking for a way out. But they will never find it- the path only reveals itself to friends."

A chill ran down his spine.

"They're so pretty!" Navi exclaimed.

Soon he was hearing things too. The noises were hushed, but they were there, and nothing escaped his warrior's senses.

The sound of leaves rustling where there was no wind. The creak of branches as weight was lifted off of them. And, even more faint, children's laughter.

"It has been a very long time since an outsider was brought so close to the heart of the forest," Saria said. Her voice rang out clear in the silence. "The Deku Tree's children are curious."

Although the sun's light did not penetrate this far beneath the leaves, they had been riding for hours, and Link could tell that it was now night-time. The darkness seemed to grow more acute, and when a faint breeze did blow through the hush of the wood, it carried a chill with it.

Still, this blackness was comforting somehow. It was natural, organic.

Nothing like the malevolent dark below Hyrule city. That was an unnatural place, devoid of light, and warmth.

"Just ahead," Saria pointed up to the top of the ridge ahead. "Over that hill."

Link spurred Epona forward, and suddenly the forest fell away and the night sky was all around them, inky blue and bright with stars.

They were at the top of an enormous basin, wide open and lush with grass. The edge of the wood stretched behind them, curving around along the vast upper edge of the depression. The meadow was quiet and peaceful, alive with the lights of countless fairies and forest sprites.

At the very center of the basin was the largest tree Link had ever seen. The Great Deku Tree was an ancient specimen, as wide as any tower built by the hands of man, and nearly a mile high. It bark was stonelike, twisted and gnarled, and Link could almost believe that there was a withered face wrought into the side of the tree.

He noticed that all around them, Kokiri were emerging from the forest, streaming out of the trees and sitting cross-legged in the grass. He saw more denizens of the wood- fairies, and deku scrubs, and brutish moblins, and some strange wooden creatures with masks made out of leaves.

A hushed voice spoke, carried to him on the wind. "Approach..."

Link looked down at Saria. She nodded. "The Tree is father to all spirits of the forest. Even you."

Link slid off of Epona's back and slowly approached the Deku tree. The forest creatures parted silently, clearing a path for him.

He stepped forward and gently laid a hand on the gnarled surface of the tree, and then sat down before the god. The grass was damp and cool.

"...My son..." the tree whispered. "...Courage... You have returned to your home... the forest will always be where you belong..."

He remembered calling the forest home, many forests, in many childhoods, in many versions of Hyrule. Childhoods that always ended too soon, when he grew into a man and faced his destiny. "The forest will always hold a special place in my heart. But I cannot call it home, much as it pains me."

There was a silence filled by the rushing of the wind through the Deku Trees leaves. On that rustling, his voice carried: "You can escape this fate of yours... This burden you take upon you is greater than any you have ever known, O Hero... Do you still wish to take it?"

"Do I have a choice?" Link scowled.

"You have always... had a choice, O Hero... In more ways then you could possibly know..."

He shook his head and drew the Master Sword from its sheath, the blade positively glowing in the moonlight. "You're wrong. For as long as I've carried this sword, and as long as innocent people suffer, there has been never been choice. Not really."

"And yet... you flee from the city... and come to me, so very far away..."

"I'm going back. I have to."

"... You are blessed with true Courage, my child... It was my role to offer you this choice, such as it was... But your answer was never in doubt..."

So the Deku tree was just another part of the charade that was his life. He didn't know what the Creators expected of him, but he couldn't leave the people of Hyrule to suffer, no matter what. "If I may, great Deku Tree, may I request a favour from you?"

"... Speak, Hero."

"As your child Saria has told me, this forest is a magical place, bound to your will. I ask you to speed my progress, that I may return to Hyrule as quickly as possible. I know that this is within your power."

"It is done. When you leave here on the morrow... The forest will help you, guide you on your way... you will always be a child of the forest, Link..."

"Thank you. I am in your debt."

This time the rustling of the leaves sounded like a kindly chuckle, the sound of a father's amused laughter.

"Well? What did he say?" Navi asked him when he returned to the spot at the top of the ridge where he left Epona.

"We ride for Hyrule tomorrow," Link said, lifting the saddle off of the horse's back and fishing through his pack for a carrot or an apple to give to Epona.

He dared not light a fire in this sacred grove, but the night was warm and humid, and the grass was cool and soft. When he lay down to sleep, the forest girl Saria disappeared back into the trees, but he knew that she was nearby, watching over him.

* * *

"This is the path to Hyrule field," she pointed at the trail through the woods. "A brave adventurer like you can probably find his way to the city from there."

"Do you have to go?" Navi asked.

Saria looked back towards the tangle of branches. "This is the very edge of the Deku Tree's enchantment. I am sorry. I cannot travel with you any further."

Link, who had been leading Epona along on foot, knelt down to lay a hand on the forest girl's shoulder. "Thank you, Saria. You've been such a great help to us."

Saria lunged forward to hug him. Her arms did not fit all the way around him, and she buried her face in his chest. "Never forget your home, Link."

And she disappeared into the forest.

They had been riding through the woods since dawn, and now the shadows of the trees were beginning to grow long and dark as the sun descended further towards the horizon. He would have to make camp soon, although he was certain he would be able make it to the city by noon tomorrow.

"Hey," Navi said, "I know this sounds weird, but did Saria seem kind of familiar to you?"

"Trust me, Navi, I know exactly what you mean."

As he made his way down the beaten path through the forest, he realized with a strange sort of chill that he had been here before. And not in any sort of existential sense; this was the same forest path he had travelled on that rainy night when he had first come to Hyrule city, seemingly an eternity ago.

And if this was that very same path, then just ahead would be the spot where-

Surely enough, flickering through the trees, was the light of a campfire. As he approached the campsite, he knew what he would see- a solitary figure hunched over, with the weight of an enormous pack on his back.

As Link approached, the figure made no move to acknowledge him until he was standing almost within arm's reach. "Do you remember, Hero, that rainy night when we first met?"

"What's your role in this?" Link asked the happy mask salesman. "What part do the Goddesses have written down for you?"

The man smiled his familiar unsettling smile. "Why, it would be extremely poor showmanship if I spoiled the ending before its time, O Hero."

"No more questions," Link said. "Answers, now."

"No more questions." The salesman said. There was a rabbit roasting over the fire, just as there had been that first night.

"You are a god, aren't you?" Link settled himself down by the campfire. "All the other gods push the three of us further along our path, but they aren't anything more than puppets, not really. What makes you different?"

"Not much, Hero, not much." The mask salesman whistled a few bars of some long-ago tune. "It sometimes doesn't take much to change a destiny, to tip fate in one direction or the other. Suppose a strange messenger appears before some princess high in her tower? Suppose a dirty traveler on the road crosses paths with a fallen king, and happens to mention a distant mountain where miracles happen?"

The firelight glinted oddly off of his eyes. "Suppose a wandering salesman meets a Hero, deep in the woods, and points him in the direction of a city where his help may be needed? Suppose all those things happen. What then?"

"So you're just like the rest of them," Link spat. "A puppet. Well, I have no intention of dancing on strings for anybody, be it man or Goddess."

The salesman laughed gently. "The most talented of performers, O Hero, play their part but make the show their own. Do you think that the Goddesses intended for you to question their will so deeply? Do you think they intended for you to know just how much of your life- of your _lives_- has been orchestrated?"

He remembered. On that rainy night, the mask salesman had given him something- a purple, heart-shaped wooden mask, a forgotten relic. It had seemed useless, but he had hung on to it, just like the rest of his souvenirs. And in doing so, sowed the first seeds of his dissension, the knowledge of his past and future lives.

"You've... been helping me?" Link asked.

The man laughed again. "I've asked you many questions, Hero. Difficult questions. You may not have used words, but you've given me answers nonetheless, though there are some answers yet to come."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why should you trust Viscen? Or Ganondorf? Or Midna? I'm afraid I can't offer you a compelling reason, but perhaps some evidence will help. Do you still have the relic that I gave you when we last met?"

He did. Link dug around in his saddlebag and withdrew the golden compass from the night on Cremia's farm. The metal had a faint warmth in his hands, and seemed to glow slightly. "This... doesn't point north."

The salesman smiled.

"It's pointing to... Hyrule city?"

"It is indeed, although it would be more accurate to say that the compass is pointing to something _inside_ Hyrule city. Hold on to it, Hero, for there are deep places there where no light shines, and you just might be thankful for something to guide you in the darkness."

He looked down at the compass, turned it back and forth, and watched as the needle always pointed firmly in the direction of Hyrule. "Something inside the city...? But what-"

Link looked up, and the happy mask salesman was gone.

He sighed. "Of course."

A least the he had left the rabbit, still roasting on the fire. Link helped himself.

* * *

It was no special talent, to glimpse a person's soul.

Oh, certainly, it took an exceptionally gifted seer to peer deep inside a man's heart and fathom all of the good and evil there, all of the deepest desires and fears, and not go mad. But anybody with even a drop of magic in their blood could skim the surface of that well, and see just a little bit of that man's true nature.

Vaati was lying atop the battlements overlooking the east gates, staring down at the sea of life below as traffic streamed in and out of the city across the many bridges that spanned the river.

He lazily swept his magic over them, scanning for any trace of power. He and Zant had spent the past few days performing this monotonous task; Zant atop the north wall and Vaati atop the east. According to Zelda, those were the only directions of the compass that needed watching.

If pretty boy Link had an ounce of brains in him, he would circle the city and use any one of the many bridges on the western side of the river. He could be hopping back and forth the Hylia five times a day and they would never know.

The wind mage waved down one of the guards patrolling the top of the wall. "You there, I haven't eaten anything all day. Where's your captain?"

"He's, um... eating lunch right now, Lord Vaati."

"Good. Bring me what he's eating."

As the fool in the tin suit rattled off, he turned his gaze back towards the crowds. A man selling furs was having his entire inventory confiscated and causing quite a ruckus. You'd think he'd have learned by now to be quiet about it, lest he wind up in the river.

Another boring day. The kid must have died up north, because there sure as hell wasn't anybody down there with power to rival a god. Either that or he wised up and took off, cause he'd have to be an idiot to show up in Hyrule again-

He sat up. "I don't believe it," he whispered to himself.

But there it was. A trace of magic. No, more than a trace- a surge of power, almost exactly like the magic within Zelda herself.

Desperately, he began to rake his eyes across the crowded bridges beneath him. There were literally thousands of people down there, true, but only one of them could possibly have that much power inside him.

_There_.

Hidden beneath a beaten and stained old travelling cloak, riding next to some farmer woman towing a wagon filled with jugs of Chateau Romani. Blue eyes peered out from beneath the hood, and just above them a brief flash of blond hair. The sword on his back was finely made, far too fine for any farmhand.

He couldn't believe his luck. "I almost feel sorry for you, friend," Vaati chuckled. "You have to be a special kind of stupid to come back here."

As the man on horseback rode into the stone tunnel through the city wall, Vaati turned and, buoyed by the wind, leapt from the battlements and landed on the rooftops below. The tiny mage streaked across the city, up towards the lofty spires of the castle, to deliver his message.

Link, the Bearer of Courage, had returned to Hyrule.

* * *

I actually excised quite a bit of content from this chapter, in the interest of keeping the story moving and not wanting a 10,000-word chapter. Because I didn't want 'Link's journey back to Hyrule' to occupy more than one update, I removed a few characters that I had intended to include, like Mido, Makar, the Great Fairy, and Kaepora Gaebora. Unfortunately, their roles in this chapter were decidedly unessential and the word count here is already approaching 6,000.

The Happy Mask Salesman is a much more important character than his sparse appearances might suggest. If you find his conversation with Link in this chapter confusing, I recommend reading the first chapter over again, paying special attention to his appearance there. He's been present throughout the story, although sometimes his influence has remained hidden.


	22. Chapter 22

I had the first draft of this chapter finished quite a while ago, however, I've edited it two or three times because the characterization in this update is particularly delicate. I feel that some explanation is required, which I will provide at the end of the chapter.

* * *

22

The Hero Returns. Tetra the Pirate Girl. Zelda's Proposal.

* * *

The last time Link had set foot in the Market District had been the night Colin died.

He looked around and briefly relived that horror: their breakneck flight from the castle; Rusl duelling him, still covered in the blood of his son; the Nameless pulling screaming men towards that great dark maw.

No evidence of that chaos remained. Fruit and fish stalls lined up along the boulevard where the dark beast had poured forth. A mummer's troupe juggled and danced to the tune of a music box on the spot where Ganondorf had shattered the cobblestones. Children sat along the bridge and fished the river below, where their cart had leapt into the air and shattered as it crashed back to the ground.

"Gonna give me a hand here, sugar?" Cremia asked him, struggling with two heavy jugs of Chateau Romani.

Link snapped out of his reverie. "Of course." He slid of Epona's back and began to unload Cremia's wares from the back of her cart. Because of the injury in his side, though, he could only carry one of the jugs at a time. He was a little bit embarrassed, because Cremia could carry four of them.

It was another busy day in Hyrule. The air was thick with the smells of cooking food and the cries of aggressive merchants. Children chased each other through the haggling crowd, laughing as they weaved through the forest of legs.

And, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze, the stench not quite stifled by the smells of food and incense and perfume, were the corpses of executed criminals hanging from the scaffold in the centre of the massive square. There were five of them this time, four men- three Hylians and a Zora- and a Rito woman. Like the others before them, they had been stripped naked and tortured before being put up on display as a warning to the other citizens.

"Don't go looking at that now," Cremia whispered, when she followed his gaze. "Just mind your own business."

"Sorry, Cremia, but there are things I just can't ignore."

She looked him in the eye, dead serious. "You'll get yourself killed, talking like that, Link."

"I know what I'm doing." But really, he didn't. He'd rode back to Hyrule, determined to right the city's many wrongs, but he had no idea where to begin.

On a whim, he pulled the strange compass from his pocket once more. The needle was pointing straight at a glassblower's. He sighed and put it away before somebody saw it and stole it.

He and Cremia continued to work at unloading the cart, and when they were finished she opened up her bar for the day's business and treated him to a drink. The Chateau Romani was every bit as rich and flavourful as the first time he had had it, the day he had come here with Midna.

"Cremia,can I ask you for a favour?"

This soon after opening, they were still the only two at the bar. She leaned on the wood across from him as Navi fluttered over their heads. "Maybe. What is it?"  
"This city is no place for a horse. If I pay you, can you take care of Epona for me, at your ranch?"

"If you pay me." She smiled devilishly. "What, you expected me to do it for free? I might cut you a little deal though."

Link made an exaggerated grimace and reached for his wallet. There was still plenty of the money that he'd taken up north, so he paid Cremia 20 Rupees for one month, unsure of how much time he'd need.

She went back to getting the bar ready for her customers. "So, Link, what'll you be doing now that you're back in the city?"

"Don't know. I'm not sure if I can go back to the Gerudo."

When he'd stepped out of the forest with only Navi trailing behind him, Cremia had given him a long, contemplative look and asked him if Ganondorf and Midna were with him. When he'd said 'no,' she dropped the subject and hadn't brought it up since.

"You could come work on the farm, if you'd like. Good work for a man like yourself."

It was tempting, just like all the other temptations to stray from the path Courage had wrought for him.

"I can't do that, Cremia. But thank you. Really."

She nodded sadly. Another customer arriving distracted her, because she looked up suddenly and smiled at someone behind him.

"Well, look who's decided to show her face. What have you been up to, Tetra?"  
Link froze. He tried his best not to betray his shock, but he knew it was a lost cause.

"Oh, sailing, piracy, and general hooliganism," said a familiar voice. It was odd to hear how warm and cheerful it was, knowing the face behind the mask. "And look here! Who is this handsome fella?"

A strong, slender hand clapped him on the bottom, and Tetra sidled onto the stool next to him. "Thought you could avoid me by dressing up in some dirty old rags and ditching your friends, huh? Nice try, but next time I have a tip for you-" she winked at him- "Lose the sword. It's one-of-a-kind. I'd recognize it anywhere."

Link stared into his drink, keeping a neutral expression. "Didn't take you long to find me. I've only been in Hyrule since this morning."

"I'm good at finding people," she said. "Especially people who have things which belong to me."

He blinked in genuine confusion.

"My gossip stone?" She chided. "The one I lent you so you could break into the library?"

The stone had been confiscated, along with all his other possessions, when Rusl had arrested him. There was simply no way that she did not already know this. "I had some trouble with the guards. They took it from me."

She smiled. Convincingly. "Well, then, I suppose you'll just have to help me go get it back."

Cremia interrupted them with a sceptical laugh. "What, Tetra, are you just going to walk right into the castle?"

Tetra set her hand on Link's shoulder and shook him lightly. "Don't you worry about us. Link and I can get inside that castle, no problem."

He thought about running. He thought about fighting. He even thought about ignoring her, simply refusing to acknowledge that she was there.

_No_, he thought, _if the Gods want me to walk this path, then I will walk it. But they might be in for a nasty surprise when we reach the end of it._

"Navi," he said.

Tetra's eyes flicked upwards to the fairy, who had remained silent throughout the tense encounter. "What is it, Link?"

"Go back with Cremia to her ranch. Stay out of the city."

"But-"

He reached out and plucked her out of the air, cupping her tiny body in his palm. Raising Navi up to his mouth, he whispered, in a voice so low that even he could barely hear it. "_Find me. Three days."_

Then he placed her on Cremia's shoulder. "Do it." His voice rang with an authority he did not know he had possessed. The fairy nodded solemnly.

"Take care of Epona." He stood up. "Alright, Tetra. Let's go."

* * *

They did not walk up the High Street and enter the castle grounds through the front gate. Instead, she led him to a rotting pier in a dark, damp neighbourhood somewhere beneath the busy marketplace. The water was funnelled off the main river through a stone channel, part of the intricate irrigation system that ran throughout all of Hyrule.

Her boat was tied up at the end of the mouldy dock. They stepped aboard, she cast off, and they began to drift down the waterway. The water beneath them was brackish and smelled cloyingly organic. Whatever sunlight seeped this far beneath the city seemed faint and tinged with green.

"How did you find me?" he asked her. "I was only in the city for a few hours."

"Nothing can hide from me here," she said. "Remember what I told you before. Everybody in this city works for me, whether they know it or not."

He leaned against the cabin, watching her closely and keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword. The boat creaked gently as the current moved them along. The air was still and warm, and they passed a few other small craft, each looking more dilapidated than the last.

Link knew that smugglers would often use the irrigation system to move beneath the city undetected, and a knowledgeable guide could use a boat to travel almost anywhere in Hyrule, if they knew where to go. He had no doubt that there were many secret passages into the castle, and that she was taking him towards one of them.

"Do you remember the ocean?" She asked him suddenly.

"Yes," he said.

"Remember what it was like, the two of us, sailing across the world? Sometimes I wished that the water would just go on forever, and that we could just keep on sailing, me and you and all of our friends."

"But the water did end," he reminded her. "There was a new continent at the end of it. All things come to an end, eventually."

"Not us," she said solemnly.

She was something between Tetra the cheeky pirate girl and Zelda the aloof princess, the finer details of her disguise slipping as her movements and mannerisms betrayed her. But her skin was still a burnished bronze and her hair still curled atop her head, and her eyes were still dark and warm instead of a chill blue.

She saw him looking. "Do you remember the nights we would spend together, listening to the water and staring at the stars?"

When he didn't answer, she pressed on. "Do you remember our child?"

"Which one?" He asked brashly. "I remember a lot of lives, a lot of women that I loved, a lot of sons and daughters. But those were _different people_."

She steered the boat into a narrow tunnel that split off from the channel. Soon they were travelling through darkness, passing undetected beneath the city above. "That is true of all these souls," her voice drifted to him in the darkness, "But not of you. Or I. Or Ganondorf. We are not defined by the bodies we possess, but the power within us that carries on through the aeons. They are mortals. We are gods."

"You are not the same Zelda as any of the women I knew. And I am not the same Link. They are memories from other lives." No Zelda that he had known would have acted in this way, he was certain of it.

For the first time, there was real emotion in the way she looked at him. It was sadness... and pity. "I am your friend, Link. Really, I am."

He looked at her. Saw how she looked so much like a woman that one version of him had loved, and saw her trying to use that fact to exploit him. "It's funny how everybody who insists they are my friend ends up trying to manipulate me."

"I am not like Ganondorf," Her voice rose slightly. "I am only telling you the truth."

He laughed humourlessly "That's the same line Ganondorf used. Quit trying to separate yourself from him. You both only want to use me."

They came to the end of the dark tunnel. It opened into an underground grotto, filled with a flickering blue light cast by magical torches burning in sconces along the wall. The water beneath them was black and motionless now, and the boat slid across the pool silently.

There was a stone embankment set into the side of the grotto, just long enough for the boat. The hull bumped gently against the rock, and Link stepped onto the damp surface. Although there was nothing around them to indicate where they were, Link knew that they were directly beneath the castle.

"Is this your secret entrance, then?" he asked. "Whenever you want to go slumming and pretend to be a pirate girl?"

She turned and smiled. "There are many passageways through my city that only I am aware of. And there are many ways for me to conceal my identity."

There was a flash of light, and then all traces of Tetra the pirate girl were gone. In front of him was the tall, pale figure of Princess Zelda, shining in the darkness. The faded clothing of her disguise had been replaced by a regal gown, and her flippant golden hairstyle was now luxurious brown locks that hung down to her waist.

The two of them stood there, in the dark grotto beneath the castle, with the faint sound of water lapping at the stone in their ears. "Why did you bring me here?" Link asked. "I got your message from Viscen. What do you want?"

"I want to make a deal," she said. Zelda waved her hand and a portion of the smooth stone wall faded away to reveal a narrow corridor, illuminated by the same blue torches. "Follow me."

He didn't have much of a choice.

The corridor led them to a narrow set of stairs, and a small, round room with no ceiling. The walls simply disappeared upwards in the darkness. But then the floor began to rise, free of support, and the magical lift carried them up, towards the towers of Hyrule castle.

"I know that you disagree with the way I have chosen to run my city. If you could take my place, would you?"

"If it meant better lives for the citizens of Hyrule, then yes, I would."

The fine cloth of her dress fluttered around her legs as they rose, her long hair swishing back and forth in the slight breeze. "And how much are those lives worth to you? What would you be willing sacrifice for them?"

He winked at her. "I'm not going to answer that question until you explain exactly what this 'deal' of yours entails."

"Well, at least you aren't stupid."

The floating platform gradually began to slow, and then came to a stop. Zelda opened another doorway in the wall, and they stepped out of the dark stone shaft and into the polished halls of Hyrule Castle.

Sunlight streamed in through wide glass windows, reflecting off the polished sections of tiles that were not covered in lush red carpet. Heavy wooden doors were set in the wall at intervals along the corridor, each one flanked by two suits of full plate armour on pedestals.

There was a slight chill in the air, and a sort of thinness. Link glanced out of one of the windows at the city below and had to resist his immediate instinct to leap backwards.

They were impossibly high above the city, so far above the sprawling metropolis below that Link could barely discern streets and buildings from each other through the misty haze. The castle was an infinite hive of turrets and battlements that rose up to meet them, flags flapping elegantly from the tops of minarets. The guards patrolling the walls looked like insects, the citizens thronging the streets like grains of sand.

For a moment, only a moment, Link began to understand why Zelda felt the way she did about the countless lives beneath them. Hyrule city was so large, so impossibly _vast_, that Link doubted it could be seen in a natural lifetime.

And if you had more than a lifetime? If you dwelt high above the masses, living for centuries in these cold towers while untold millions lived and died each day below you?

No wonder she felt like a god.

But then the moments passed, and the resentment returned. How could a ruler ever hope to govern effectively, so isolated from her people?

She was watching him. "You begin to see now, just how much each of their lives truly mean. They are like leaves in the wind before you and I."

"How can you say that? How can you claim to be the same Zelda I've known throughout all of my lives, and say something so callous? You were never like this. Never."

She joined him at the window. "After living through the same pathetic charade a thousand times- how can you not?"

The she turned. "Follow me," she said again.

They walked through golden atriums filled with sculptures, long hallways lined with paintings, and ornate staircases decorated in gold and mahogany. But not once did they pass another living soul, though the trek seemed to take them through half the castle- always travelling up.

After another dizzying flight of stairs, Link began to wonder if there was ever an end to the heights of the towers. But then they stepped off another magical lift and into a narrow carpeted hallway. There were only two rooms, directly across from each other.

She opened one of the doors and gestured for him to step inside.

If Link had ever been asked to describe his ideal living quarters, he almost certainly would have described the suite that awaited him beyond the door. It was simple, favouring functionality over luxury- the furniture was all handmade, and the bedsheets were simple linen instead of silk. At the foot of the bed was his old rucksack, filled with the many trinkets he had collected over the course of his adventures. His ocarina, his conductor's baton, the cursed mask. Memories of his past lives, he now knew.

And, neatly folded atop the clean sheets-

"I had that made for you centuries ago," Zelda said. "I enchanted it myself. It weighs almost nothing. It will never tear. It will never stain. It will keep you warm when it is cold, and keep you cool when it is hot. Only the strongest of magics can pierce it; normal blades and arrows are useless."

It was a tunic, just like the one he had worn in so many different lives. This one was something special though, not at all like the grimy, battleworn one that he had left behind when he'd fled the city. The green was a vibrant cheerful shade that reminded him of a sunny forest, and the mail underneath was a shining golden color that shimmered when he picked up the garment.

"Would you like to try it on?" she asked him.

He nodded, and she left the room. Quickly, he stripped off the filthy clothes he had worn on his journey north, tossing the stained and battered traveling cloak aside, and put on the familiar tunic.

It fit him like his own skin.

He tested the strength of the belts around the waist and over the shoulder, slid one of the gauntlets onto his hands and flexed. They were made of a smooth, soft leather that was still as tough as if it had been boiled. The boots were just as comfortable, and they fit him perfectly.

Zelda came back in just as he finished strapping the Master Sword to his back. "It looks wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Now you are the hero I've always known."

"How long have you had this room ready?" he asked. Although the room was absolutely spotless, it was possessed of the strange stillness of a place that had not been disturbed in a very long time. Link felt like he was standing in a dead man's room.

"Since I built this castle," Zelda said. "The room across the hall is mine. I have been waiting for you, Link, just like I always do."

Again he was reminded of Ganondorf, and of the Gerudo's determination to induct him into his gang immediately. "Why don't you just tell me what you want?" he snapped. "Stop trying to exploit me, because it isn't going to work."

For an instant, she looked hurt. "For as long as I can remember you have always been my closest confidant. Always been by my side. I may not be the same as the Zelda you once knew, but we can still work together, Link."

"I'm sorry," he said, "But not when there are corpses hanging in the Market District. Not when your magistrates seize property and throw the owners on the street, and your soldiers rape and kill for the fun of it."

"We all seek the same thing, Link, just different forms of it- power. I can give you the power to right all those wrongs, if you will only help me in return."

"What, then?" But he already knew what she would ask him for.

"Help me assemble to Triforce. Between you and I we already have two of the pieces. Help me to get the third from Ganondorf."

"Ganondorf is dead," he said flatly. "He died atop Snowpeak mountain, along with your Commandant."

"You know that is not true. You know my terms." She stepped forward, laid a pale hand on his cheek. "In return, I will give you authority over all of Hyrule. Your command will be second to none, not even my own."

"What do you mean?"

"I will marry you." She leaned in closely and pressed her lips to his, briefly. "I will be Queen, and you shall be King next to me, forever."

* * *

I believe that a brief note on 'shipping' is required here. In many of the games, it is fairly obvious that Link and Zelda are romantically involved, or become so after the conclusion of the story. You will also recall that Zelda received the knowledge of her past lives much differently than Link. While Link is still struggling with the realization, Zelda has embraced it, and considers all of her different lives as multiple facets of her one person.

Her actions in this chapter are particularly distasteful, in my opinion: seeing Link's difficulty in coming to terms with the revelation, she is exploiting his feelings towards past versions of herself, and emotionally manipulating him. I chose Tetra as the specific incarnation that she mentioned because the relationship between Link and Tetra is pretty evidently canon.

I struggled a bit with how both Link and Zelda behaved in this chapter. I hope you will review to let me know how I did.


	23. Chapter 23

I know, I've been keeping people waiting for this one. I actually had it nearly ready to publish a few weeks ago... and then Skyward Sword came out. If you're interested to know whether the new game will influence this story, read my notes at the end of the chapter.

* * *

23

Commandant Viscen. A Mysterious Circle. Link Ruins Dinner.

* * *

Link had never seen a man look so utterly defeated.

Of the twenty men who had set out towards Snowpeak, only five had returned alive, and one of those was unlikely to live to see tomorrow. The Commandant had returned in shame, his face devoid of emotion as he knelt before Princess Zelda and dully recited his report.

The Princess listened solemnly as he recalled the events of his pursuit in the mountains. Link, standing next to the throne, heard Rusl's version of the events that he had experienced mere days ago: the breakneck chase across the plains at dawn, the cataclysmic collapse of the mountain pass, the ambush high atop Snowpeak, and finally the avalanche that had buried his men alive.

When Rusl had finished, he stood at attention, awaiting his princesses' judgment. Beside him stood Viscen, who had not said a word throughout the audience.

The Commandant spared Link a single glance, hardly anything more than the simple acknowledgement of his presence. Then he hung his head again.

"Rusl," Zelda began, "Throughout your service you have been an honourable soldier, a valued advisor, and a loyal friend. I am concerned for your welfare."

"Your Highness-" Rusl said, "Zelda- I live to serve Hyrule."

She continued. "It is apparent that the death of your son has affected you deeply. Out of concern for your well-being, I am afraid that I will have to temporarily relieve you of your duties as Commandant."

"... Please..." Rusl said.

Link said nothing. Nor did Viscen.

"I am sorry," Zelda said. "Until such time as you are fit to resume your position, former Commandant Viscen shall command Hyrule's soldiers."

Viscen grimaced, but did not disagree. Instead he laid a calm had on Rusl's shoulder and asked, "I am ready to serve. Is there anything else, Zelda?"

"Yes. You are to inform your men that Link is to have full reign of the castle. His authority is second to no-one. Not even myself."

The newly appointed Commandant Viscen dd a massive double-take, staring at Link before returning his attention to Zelda. "Are... you sure about that?"

"Yes," she said. "If he gives an order, you are to obey it. Without question."

"...Very well, then."

Zelda stood. "This audience is over. If you wish to discuss your new duties further, you may meet with me privately in my study."

"Actually," Viscen hesitated, "I was wondering if I might speak with Link for a moment."

"Ask his permission, not mine," Zelda swept out of the throne room.

Viscen shrugged. He turned and said something to Rusl, who nodded and turned to leave as well.

Link stepped down from the dais. "Rusl!" he called.

Rusl turned.

"Your son loved you. A lot. He wouldn't want you to change who you are. He never would have blamed you."

He nodded in acknowledgement. As always, his face betrayed no emotion. For a brief moment, Rusl seemed as though he was about to speak, but decided against it. He left the throne room through the massive double doors, ignoring the respectful salutes of the guards outside.

"Maybe Zelda's right," Viscen said. "Maybe... maybe this compulsion towards his duty is getting to him. He needs rest."

"He won't find it." Link knew what it was like to hold convictions so deeply that they consumed you. "He's a lot like me. He won't rest until justice is done."

"What's justice?" Viscen asked, his voice sour. "He's been deprived of the one chance he had at redemption- the chance to kill you, or die at your hands."

Link was suddenly uncomfortable in the silent emptiness of the throne room. "Let's go walk the battlements," he said.

"It's cold outside."

"I'll be fine. This is apparently magic." He patted his new tunic.

"A gift from the princess?" Viscen raised his eyebrows.

"A bribe, I think." The corridors were quiet save for the sound of their voices. The few guards they passed stood at silent attention, and the carpet even muffled their footsteps. "Zelda... needs my help with something. I'm not sure what."

"So she's bribing you with new clothes?"

"No. She wants me to marry her. She'll make me king of Hyrule."

Viscen stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, dumbfounded. He glanced back and forth suspiciously. "You know, a walk on the battlements sounds like an excellent idea."

They climbed atop the highest level of the tiered walls that ringed the castle in concentric circles, far above the grounds below. There were no snowflakes in the air, but a very light dusting of powder sat atop the stone.

There was already someone sitting on the edge of the battlements. Link recognized the childlike figure and purple clothing of Vaati, one of Zelda's viziers.

"Go brood somewhere else," Viscen growled. "We're talking here."

Vaati laughed at them. "Afraid I'll overhear you talking about our glorious new king Link? Or how the great old Viscen is to come out of retirement and take up the mantle of Commandant once more?

Viscen grimaced. "Who told you?"

"Nobody _told_ me anything. I figured it out for myself. You simple swordsmen, so very easy to manipulate. Believe it or not, some people's motivations are a bit more complicated than they lead you to think."

Vaati twirled his fingers, and a brief gust of chill wind lifted some of the snow off the battlements and into their hair.

"So what is this?" Link asked. "A warning? What do you want?"

The wind mage sighed. "Weren't you just listening? Smart people- that's me, and Zelda- don't get ahead by telling stupid people- that's you two- what our goals are. We tell you just enough to get you to do what we need."

"You're up here for something," Viscen growled. "Get to the point."

He earned a heated glare for that. "All I want to do is let you know that there is no need to let yourself be manipulated so easily. If you're clever enough, you can turn the tables and take it all for yourself."

"Take what-" Link began.

Vaati cut him off. "And remember- not everybody around here is as loyal to Zelda as they claim to be."

He slid off the side of the wall and sauntered past them.

"I hate that little bastard," Viscen said.

"What do you reckon that was all about?" Link had been caught off-guard by the strange encounter and found himself turning the wind mage's words over in his head. '_Not everybody around here is as loyal to Zelda as they claim to be_.'

"I dunno, but he's a sneaky one. That politics stuff, not for me," Viscen said. "Everything you say gets so twisted it ends up just being lies piled on top of more lies. You don't want to get involved in that. Trust me."

Link leaned forward onto the merlon and gazed down at the city. It could be his city, he knew. "It's not just about me, Viscen. There are thousands of people down there- maybe millions- who need me to help them. Who better than a king?"

"You're an honourable man, Link, but I've spent my whole life in this city... and I don't think it can be helped. Sometimes this city seems to me like a dying thing. The corruption grows roots and spread like an infection, and now it runs so deeply that it's become a part of Hyrule."

He swept his hand across the vista below; the breadth of the gesture encompassing all of Hyrule. The shining towers and flawless gardens, the sparkling rivers and the bustling plazas, the shady alleyways and the run-down residences, the dank undercity and the black depths below even that. "This city is diseased, Link. Haven't you ever wondered about what that creature really is? The one that only ever comes out at night?"

"The Nameless," Link said. He'd been out of the city for some time, but he had never forgotten that horror.

"I think that it's a disease. Maybe the Goddesses punishing the wickedness that rules this city."

"It's not a bad guess," Link conceded. He wondered, if he were to ask Zelda, whether she would know. If she did, would she tell him? "I don't think it's anything sent by the gods, though."

"No?"

He shook his head. "Midna told me something once, a while ago, about how her people died. She said that Zelda and Zant created the Nameless, and it one night it destroyed the entire Twili civilization beneath the city."

"If that's true," Viscen said, "How did Midna survive?"

Link tapped his hands restlessly against the stone. "She never mentioned it. I have a feeling that Midna knows a lot more about that creature than she lets on."

They watched the workings of the city in companionable silence as the first beginnings of snow began to drift down around them.

"Zelda wants me to kill them," Link said.

"Who?" Viscen asked.

"Ganondorf and Midna. She wants to assemble the power of the goddesses within us- the Triforce- and she wants me to help her take Ganondorf's part by force. There's no way Midna would stand by and let that happen; I'd have to kill her too. That's Zelda's condition for making me king."

"And? Are you going to do it?"

The problem with Viscen's question was that Link himself didn't know the answer. "I... Ganondorf has done horrible things. To me, and to so many others. But I don't trust Zelda, either. Look at what she's done to this city."

"Zelda hasn't done this to Hyrule," Viscen said. "Its people have."

"What do you mean?"

Viscen laughed. "The Princess doesn't govern the city. She hasn't for a long time."

This was news to him. "What do you mean? How could she not run the city?"

Viscen gave him a pitying look. "Don't be too impressed that she's handing you the reins, because she doesn't care about Hyrule. Not a whit. No, the magistrates and the sages and the viziers run this city. And me, I suppose."

"Got other things one her mind, huh?" Now that he thought about it, it made sense. Of course Zelda would be willing to let him run the city- all she really cared about was the power of the Triforce.

"There are not a lot of people like you or I, Link," he lamented. "Not many people who would truly place the people of Hyrule above their own self-interest. I don't know if you've got what it takes to be king, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

"It's a lot more difficult when the lives of everybody in the city could depend on that decision."

"I believe in you, Link," Viscen told him. "Whatever choice you make, I will stand by you until the end."

To this, Link had no response.

* * *

"_The compass is pointing to something inside Hyrule city. Hold on to it, Hero, for there are deep places there where no light shines, and you just might be thankful for something to guide you in the darkness"_

The next morning Link found himself sitting alone in the room Zelda had given him, turning the compass over and over in his hands and thinking on the words of the mask salesman. The sunlight streaming through the window was bright enough that he could see his own reflection in the polished gold surface.

He set the thing down on the floor and spun it back and forth, watching as the needle swerved wildly before coming to a halt, pointing in the exact same direction every time.

That direction was not north.

Zelda had said that no door in Hyrule was closed to him. He decided it was time to test the limits of his freedom.

He made his way down the tower stairs and into the castle proper, following the needle of the compass through several roomy halls and airy corridors. He passed a few guards, and even one or two members of Zelda's council, but for the most part he searched in silence, the sound of his footsteps echoing off the thick walls.

The enormous castle was practically deserted, he slowly came to realize, as the compass led him through yet another empty suite. Every room was lavishly appointed and meticulously cared for, but had seldom been touched.

The few guards that he did see saluted him respectfully when he passed, but made no attempt to hinder his progress as he navigated the mazelike halls. Evidently, Zelda's instructions were being strictly observed.

He did his best to follow the direction of the needle in a straight line, but oftentimes he would come up against a wall or find himself several floors too high or too low to continue, so he was forced to take a detour. The compass took Link through the kitchens, where a number of cooks were busily preparing an enormous meal; through the empty chambers where the council of magistrates convened; and through even a bestiary where several large furry creatures slumbered peacefully.

Finally, he came to the door.

Link knew that this was the door he was looking for because it was locked. And not only was it locked, but it had no doorknob, handle, or any other visible means of opening.

But no doors were locked to Link. He laid his hand on the wood, and the golden insignia of the Triforce shone brightly for a moment, before vanishing. The door did not open, but instead simply disappeared.

The room was round and utterly empty. The floor, walls, and ceiling were hewn from the same rock that comprised the castle walls and were completely featureless.

No- he knelt to inspect the floor more closely. There were tiny grooves cut into the stone, so shallow as to be barely noticeable and no wider than his finger. He ran his hand along one of the indentations-

And suddenly the tiny channel was filled with light. The light spread, surging along the lines and curves set into the floor, filling out the design that had been drawn there and illuminating it.

It was some kind of runic circle, not unlike the magic spell that Zelda had used to hold him and Ganondorf down when they had been brought to the castle. But this circle was larger and far more intricate, filled with strange symbols and countless arcs and lines that came together at strange angles to complete the design.

It was the blueprint to some kind spell, Link figured, a tool used to shape and control powerful magic. And he was certain that it had been drawn by none other than Zelda herself.

But for what reason?

Link glanced down at the back of his hand, at the Triforce that still glowed there. "It's worked so far," he said to himself.

He stood in the center of the circle and closed his eyes, feeling the power flow through him. It was surprisingly easy to coax that power forward, to consciously send it flowing from him and through the design on the floor.

Immediately he realized that this was only a fraction of the whole spell. The rest of it was there, he could sense it, but it remained just outside of his grasp. It was like standing in the middle of a familiar room in the dark and knowing where the walls and furniture were, even though he could not quite see them.

The sensation of such intricate magic coursing through hhim was an unfamiliar one, yet somehow intoxicating. He tried to divine the true purpose of the spell, but still it lingered at the edge of his vision.

He exhaled in effort and clenched his fists, the might of the Triforce surging through his fingertips. For a brief moment, he felt the magnitude of the entire city of Hyrule inside his eyelids, a million living breathing souls, vast walls and endless streets, circles within circles, like ripples in a great still pond- all spread out below him.

With a chill, Link realized that he was standing at the very center of Hyrule city. He looked down at the compass, and saw that the needle was spinning wildly. The spell that Zelda had drawn occupied far more than this room- it comprised the entirety Hyrule, every single wall, temple, tower, bridge. It was all part of one masterful design.

A design that included every single person living in the city.

He looked at the compass again. Was this room what he was supposed to find?

For some reason, Link didn't think so.

The needle continued to spin. He realized he was standing in the right place- he was just a few thousand metres too high up.

The compass was leading him to something far below him.

This room was just a small part of the design. Somewhere, far below, was the true centre of the circle.

* * *

The food was delicious, unlike anything he had ever tasted. But despite the plethora of courses laid out on the banquet table before him, Link ate sparingly. He wasn't hungry.

A multitude of dignitaries, nobles, and political figures were seated at the table, which spanned the entire length of the cavernous dining hall. Link had been introduced already to the Rito chieftain and his son, the Zora princess Ruto, two decrepit old sages name Sahasrahla and Rauru, Darunia the Goron chief, a depressed-looking famous painter named Salvatore, and more magistrates and military officers than he could count.

The seating was arranged according to a strict hierarchy: the most important figures sat closest to Princess Zelda. Link was the recipient of a great many jealous glances and much speculative muttering, as he was seated at the head of the table next to Zelda; a position of unrivalled importance.

Viscen was seated beside him, in the Commandant's chair. "Try to look like you're enjoying yourself," he said, nudging Link under the table.

"Why should I? I don't want to be here."

"If you're going to be king, these are the types of people you'll need on your side."

Link looked around him, at the people sitting near the head of the table. There was Vaati, currently sampling every single course, the diminutive and loudly boasting Chancellor Cole, and the other vizier Zant, who sat in silence, not even touching his food ad still wearing his heavy stone mask.

Sighing, Link turned to accept a glass of wine poured by one of the servers buzzing about the table. "Thank you... sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said.

The server was a young Rito girl, who blushed deeply and bowed. "My name... it's not important," she said, before hurrying away.

"Wait," he said, "Why won't you tell me-"

But she was gone.

"Don't worry about the servers," said a man sitting a few seats down from him. Chancellor Cole, Link remembered. "They're told not to bother us. Pay them no mind- unless you want another drink, of course." He laughed, a wheedling, ingratiating sound.

Link glanced down the table. Every single one of the servers were children, dressed in simple white robes that made them look androgynous. The only difference in the uniform between the boys and the girls was that the girls all had a flower in their hair.

"Whose children are they?"

Cole sipped his wine and shrugged. "Some of them are the children of lesser nobles, or soldiers who offer them up as a tribute. Others are taken away from parents who can't pay their debts, or who cause trouble, as a warning. They are taken and their lives given to the service of the kingdom. It's a great honour to serve at one of the Princesses' banquets, they're really better off this way."

Link watched the Rito girl hurry to deliver a steaming bowl of soup to an irate councillor. "What happens when they get too old to serve food?"

"Why, we get some more," Cole said.

Vaati burst into dry laughter. "When the children are too old to remain simple attendants, they are usually enlisted into the royal guard, or are given menial positions about the palace. The particularly talented ones become scholars, and the particularly attractive ones become courtesans."

Viscen sighed wearily. "It's a different world up here, Link. People don't think that same way, you have to realize that. I was one of those children, once."

Both Link and Vaati's eyes widened in mild surprise.

"I used to serve food at this very table. When I was fifteen they made me a soldier, and by the time I was twenty-five I was the Commandant."

Vaati seemed genuinely interested. "Where did they take you from?"

Stroking his faint stubble, Viscen thought for a moment. "I believe my parents were killed when I was a little boy, likely for some trivial offense or other. Isn't it funny? I don't remember them at all."

It didn't sound very funny to Link, and something in Viscen's voice made it clear that the Commandant didn't think so either. "Why didn't she tell me her name?" Link asked.

It was Cole who answered him. "Well, they're ordered not to. Servants aren't supposed to think or have identities, they're meant to simply do their job in silence and speak only when necessary."

Vaati snickered again and lazily cut into his steak, lifting up a piece to examine how well it was cooked. "Notice how they're all dressed alike? They go with the tablecloth, the candles, the floor, the curtains. Why do you think that is?" He bit into the steak savagely and began cutting himself more. "They're decorations. If they aren't _people_, then we don't need to think about them."

Link's appetite had deserted him. He turned to Zelda at his side. "If I'm to be king, these children will be returned to their parents. They're not _possessions_."

She sampled a thin shaving of the fish filet on her plate. "Somebody must serve at the banquets. Some magistrate came up with the idea of children long ago, and I saw no reason to disallow it."

"Do you run this kingdom at all?" he said to her, quietly enough that he wouldn't be heard over the low chatter of the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vaati turn his head, though. "Have you made even the slightest attempt to improve the lives of your people? At least act like you deserve that power of yours."

She smiled serenely. "Long ago, I thought like you. I tried to govern fairly. But after centuries of watching so many lives pass like snowflakes in the wind, I realized the... futility of it all. Let the fools have their fun. They sit with me at this table and lord over the city and think they have power, but in the end they will all die just the same. You and I, Link, we are something more."

"So you just don't care?"

She turned her attention back to her dinner. A part of him was surprised that she even ate and drank like a normal person. "There are more important things at stake, Link. Purposes higher than the mundane concerns you would have me occupy myself with. When you are my King, then I can share my knowledge with you."

"I found your circle today," he mentioned, almost offhandedly. With no small amount of satisfaction he saw her eyebrows arch upward in surprise. "Well, part of it. How long did it take you to create a spell so big that it covered the whole city?"

She smiled. It was a little patronising. "You see an obvious conclusion and seize it like a starving man. Think on it just a little bit more, and the true majesty of what I am trying to accomplish may become clear to you."

Link gave up and when back to watching the table full of bourgeoisie chat and gorge themselves while the children in white shifts flitted between them with more dishes and drinks. He spotted the Rito girl again, and waved to get her attention.

"More wine, sir?"

"Tell me your name," he instructed.

The girl bowed and politely refused. "I'm sorry, sir, but we are not to mention our names in the presence of-"

He tapped Zelda on the shoulder. She turned.

"Ask this girl what her name is," he said.

"If you insist." Zelda smiled sunnily at the child. "It's perfectly fine, little one. This is my heroic knight Link, and he will be the King soon. He just wants to know what your name is. Surely a pretty girl like you has a pretty name?"

The girl seemed unsure of what to do, but evidently the authority of Princess Zelda overruled the authority of anybody else. "My name is Medli."

"Where are you from, Medli?" Link asked.

"Dragonroost Quarter," she said. "My mother is an attendant to the magistrate. When he found out she had me, he made her send me here."

"Do you miss your mother?" he asked.

She nodded. "A lot of the kids were taken from their families. I'm one of the older ones, so I have to be strong."

A reckless idea occurred to Link, and he decided to leap upon it."How are you taken care of? Do you get good food?"

She glanced over her shoulder, back towards the kitchens. Like she was afraid someone was watching her. "The guards get the leftovers from the banquets. We have bread and water, and sometimes meat if we're lucky."

"See any food on the table that you like?"

She looked nervously back and forth once more. "I... we can't... We can't take any of the food."

Link smiled and gave Medli a conspiratorial wink.

Although he had dressed in formal wear for the occasion of the banquet, he still carried the Master Sword upon him at all times. Standing, he picked up a metal serving dish and rapped the sword against it several times over the din of the table.

"Attention! Could I please have everybody's attention?" he called out. He smacked the dish several more times with the blade and repeated himself. "Everybody, I have something I'd like to say. Please quiet down."

It took a few minutes, but eventually the hubbub ceased and Link found himself the subject of a hundred inquisitive gazes.

"I said everybody. That means the servers as well."

The children in white shifts, who had continued clearing dishes and serving food, slowly began to realize that he was talking to them. He saw fear in their eyes. They were afraid they'd done something wrong.

"What the hell are you doing?" Viscen asked him, under his breath.

Zelda said nothing. She only watched calmly.

"This banquet is now over!"

Many looked baffled. A few chuckled politely, assuming he was joking, and he saw more than a few make 'drinky-drinky' gestures with their hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am absolutely serious. If you could please turn your attention to your wonderful servers for a moment."

The laughter began to die down. Viscen tapped him on the arm. "Sit down, Link. You'll make too many enemies here."

Link ignored him. "These children have worked very hard to ensure that this dinner was such a success. So, in appreciation for all their effort, they will all get a chance to enjoy this very lovely banquet for themselves."

Dead silence. Until one fat man noble in a red robe yelled at him, "I'm not going to share a table with a serving boy!"

Link spread his hands and smiled. "Well then, there won't be a problem. Because the new servers shall be all of you."

Vaati burst out into raucous, uncontrolled laughter. Viscen lowered his head into his hands and Cole, along with the rest of the table, began shouting angrily.

Link raised the Master Sword above his head and brought it crashing down into the table. The wood did not merely splinter, it parted cleanly as the powerful stroke sliced straight through the heavy wood.

"To the kitchens." he said.

He met the eyes of both Viscen and Zelda. "Any order I give," he whispered. "Remember."

Viscen nodded reluctantly. He raised his hand and gestured at the troops standing guard at the far ends of the hall. The soldiers stepped forward and began herding the loudly protesting nobility towards the kitchens.

Vaati was still doubled over, laughing. "You are something special," he wiped away tears. "Truly, your stupidity is rivalled only by the size of your balls."

Cole was stammering uselessly. "Now see here!" he shouted "You're not king yet! And even if you were, you can't do this! These guests are the most honoured... the highest... the most esteemed-"

Link laid the Maser Sword on the table, pointing squarely at the blustering magistrate. "Get to work."

Pale-faced, Cole obeyed.

Some of the children were hesitantly taking seats, incredulous hope slowly lighting up their faces. Link made an extravagant bow to the wide-eyed Medli and said, "How would you like to sit in the princesses' seat?"

He wasn't sure what he expected from Zelda. A refusal, perhaps, or maybe a cold remark or even a harsh admonishment. But in front of an audience, Zelda was as kind as any older sibling. She rose gracefully from her seat and politely offered it to the astonished Rito girl.

As the disgruntled nobility began to carry dishes and desserts out of the kitchen, and the servant children ate like they never had before, Zelda laid a hand on his shoulder. "A king must have the respect of his subjects. This much, I know. They will never forgive you for this."

"I've told you how much the corruption and thievery among your magistrates and your councillors sickens me," he said. "If you're willing to make me a king, then don't be surprised when I start to make a few changes around here."

"You don't understand the nature of power, Link." She took his hand and laid her fingers over the Triforce there. "A good king is not a foolish one."

He brushed her aside and sat back down to his meal, which he found much more appetizing now that he could enjoy his company. "How is it?" he asked Medli.

"I've never eaten food this good!" she exclaimed. "You're... sure none of us will get beaten for doing this?"

Link tapped the hilt of the Master Sword. "If anybody- _anybody_- hurts you, you come and find me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Viscen watched the proceedings with a look of deepest regret on his face. "Do you really think this was a good idea?"

"I don't care," Link said. "At least I'm doing something. _Somebody_ had to step up, and show these people that justice still exists in this world."

The Commandant shook his head sadly. "This is not justice, Link. This is foolish, and rash, and what little good you've done today will be paid back tenfold tomorrow."

Link slowly let his gaze sweep across the hall, watching as the humiliated guests all turned their head to avoid eye contact. "These men and women are cowards, Viscen. Complacency let this city decay, but I am here now, and I will never stop fighting."

"Things are under control for now, yes. With you and I here, none of the nobles are willing to try anything. But these aren't people who fight a man face to face. You'll be watching your back for the rest of your life, as you're liable to be stabbed there soon."

Link watched the children laugh and eat with disbelieving happiness. He watched the fat and the rich skulk about, biting back their rage and looking at him with hate and fear. "I wish somebody would try," he said. "Then I could finally know who my enemies are."

* * *

He took a deep breath and clenched his teeth before lifting both the tunic and undershirt up over his head.

Although he had been trying to ignore the injury as much as possible, the cut that Viscen had inflicted in his side during their sparring match was still hampering Link's range of motion. Navi's treatment had kept the wound from reopening, and he rebandaged it every day with fresh linens, but the gash was deep and would take a long time to heal.

Sitting on his bed, alone in his room at the top of the castle's highest tower, Link began to regret what he had done at the banquet. Viscen was right- it had been both stupid and dangerous. He could only hope that any retaliation would be directed at him and not the children he'd been trying to help.

He wished he hadn't done it. The frustrations of dealing with so much corruption and hypocrisy had gotten to him, and he'd acted rashly.

But he had to do _something_. The inaction was driving him mad.

The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his reverie. Without looking, he knew who it was. "I'm not in the mood for any more of your head games," he snapped.

"Head games?" Zelda laughed disarmingly. "Link, I'm only trying to open your eyes. I know it's difficult, but soon you will see what I see."

If it turned him into a person like her, he wasn't sure he wanted to. "So, you forgot to tell me- what's that circle do?"

She sat down on the bed next to him. Zelda was wearing a soft cotton robe, and her hair was freed of its ornate braids and draped over her shoulders. The immaculate whiteness of the soft cloth made her pale skin seem just a little more tinged with warmth. "You're asking the wrong question. Before you figure out what it does, you must figure out what it _is._"

"Okay," he said. "It's a binding circle, right? Like the one that you used to hold me down that one time, but this one is the size of the entire city."

"That's... somewhat correct." He could tell she was being charitable. "I don't think you can fully understand the nature of what I've been working on all these years, not yet. It's not complete, you see."

"And you need the Triforce to finish this... magic whatever?"

"That's right," Zelda reached out for his hand, gently running her thumb over the back of it. "You're hurt," she observed.

"When Viscen delivered your message he couldn't resist a little sparring match," Link said. "That old dog got the best of me."

She leaned closer to him and gently laid her hand over the wound. There was a flash of light, and a brief searing heat that soon faded into a pleasant warmth. He found that the pain in his side had completely disappeared, the cut healed completely by her magic.

He took a deep breath, free of pain for the first time in days. "Thank you," he said.

It was then that he noticed, with some surprise, that one of Zelda's hands was entwined with his own and that the other was resting on his torso. Her face was very close to his. She leaned forward.

Zelda's lips were soft and cool, and her slender frame weighed very little as she shifted on top of him. Her fingers trailed up the side of his torso and caressed his chest, and she sighed in contentment.

Link hesitated, for just a moment. Then he raised his hands up to her shoulders and slid the robe off of her. It fell to the floor without a sound, exposing impossibly flawless skin that was as pale as milk.

His callused hands swept over that smoothness, gently caressing her breasts, small and pointed and tipped with pink. She kissed him deeply in encouragement, and he tried to imagine the sweetness and warmth of all the Zeldas he had ever known before.

But he could not. This Zelda was cold and white, and beneath his hands no heart beat within her chest.

He pushed her away from him. "No."

"Link-" she began.

"You're not the Zelda I loved- not any of them. What have you done to yourself?"

"I am still the same person, Link. We were meant to rule side by side, as gods. I have simply walked further down that path then you have." She leaned forward and tried to bring her lips to his once more.

He turned his head, "I'm sorry, but I can't. It's like... you're not even a person anymore, Zelda. Please, can't you see what you've done to yourself? To this city?"

"That is immaterial," she insisted.

She was ethereally beautiful, standing naked in the moonlight, but Link had to remind himself that the Zelda he'd known long ago was gone. In her place was a cold princess, without regard for her people or her nation.

"Please leave, Zelda," he said. "Just... I need to think."

She swept the robe up from where it had fallen and draped it over her shoulders. "You can be king, Link. I am offering you the power to change this city any way you want." And with that reminder, she left him alone in his room.

He lay down on the bed, staring out the window at the moon. There was no way he could take Zelda's offer, he realized. She was unstable enough with just one third of the Triforce; it would be foolishness to even consider allowing her to complete the relic.

He hoped he was doing the right thing. Sure, being King of Hyrule would allow him to help a lot of people, but that meant little in the long run if Zelda's mad fantasies of godhood put the entire city in peril.

He sighed and wondered how to tell her. She was already upset that he had spurned her advances. Maybe it would be best if he just disappeared for a little while.

A swath of dark clouds drifted over the moon. Link closed his eyes.

He wasn't certain how long he'd been lying there, or whether he'd dozed off or not, when a shrill and familiar voice roused him from his thoughts.

"Hey!"

He sat up. There, flitting against his window, was a glowing ball of light. Navi. Hurriedly Link opened the window and let the fairy inside. "Where were you? I said three days- it's been five!"

"I'm sorry, Link!" she said. "Do you have any idea how _gigantic_ this castle is?"

"Yeah, I do," he laughed, realizing that he knew for once exactly what to do. "Nevermind, you did great. I need your help, actually."

She seemed thrilled. "Of course I'll help you, Link! What do you need me to do?"

He lay back down on the bed. "First," he said, "I need you to be quiet so I can get some sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow morning."

"Leaving? Where are we going?"

He reached up into the air, and the fairy landed on his outstretched hand. "That's the second part. You're going to take me to see the Great Fairy."

* * *

This chapter is one of the longest, at about 7,000 words. I found it difficult to write because it is fairly important at providing development and motivations for a number of major characters, and I wanted to make sure that nothing felt out of place. One particular scene I contemplated for a long time was Zelda attempting to seduce Link- I ultimately decided to include it because I felt that it continued the trend of her using any means at her disposal to manipulate peoples' behavior.

As for whether or not any characters from _Skyward Sword_ will be included in this story... probably not. At this point all of the significant characters have already been introduced and the plot is nearing a conclusion, so I wouldn't feel comfortable shoehorning any of the new characters into _Sacred Reliquary_ just for the sake of having them in there. There is always room for cameo appearances, though, so I may see if I can work a few of my favorites from _Skyward Sword_ if the situation calls for it.


	24. Chapter 24

These chapters are getting longer and longer...

* * *

24

The Heart of the Forest. An Unpleasant Reunion. Magic and Darkness.

* * *

It was early afternoon by now, at the very least.

Although it was impossible to see the sun from the slums under the city, Link's instincts told him that it had by now certainly passed its zenith in the sky. "How much farther?" he asked irritably. "I swear we've passed this same alleyway three times by now."

"Um... almost there!" Navi chirped, bobbing along ahead of him. Link's eyes darted up and down the deserted street, wary of any possible threats attracted by copious amounts of light and noise produced by the overenthusiastic fairy.

Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed. But he was certain nobody had seen him leave the castle. And although Zelda would certainly be aware of his absence by now, it would be nearly impossible to track him down within the vastness of Hyrule's depths.

Then he recalled with a chill how quickly she had been able to find him when he had returned from Snowpeak. One could never be too cautious, he reassured himself.

"Why do I get the feeling you're leading me in circles?" he asked as he climbed over a mountain of collapsed masonry.

"The fountain is never in the same place," she said. "You have to walk a specific path if you want it to appear."

"I think you're just lost," he grumbled.

"Nope! Here we are!"

'Here' was a collapsed home. Literally the only part of the structure still standing was the door frame.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"Just walk right through the door."

Link could see a thick layer of dust coating the ground on the other side of the door. An old wood-burning stove had toppled onto its side and was now being used as a den by a family of Remlits.

He glanced doubtfully back at Navi, and stepped through the door.

Into the deepest, darkest part of the forest.

The smell of damp earth and old trees was all around him, and the quiet blackness of the forest was illuminated gently by the light of hundreds of tiny fairies, flitting through the tangle of branches and leaves that was like a wall around the circular clearing in which he found himself.

Before him was a pool of water, smoother than the finest glass. He stepped forward and looked into it- his face was reflected there, as were the many points of light that danced all around him.

The water began to ripple, and rise, and a slender, beautiful body rose up out of the shining surface. The Great Fairy was a being of immense power, he sensed immediately, ancient and bound to the deepest heart of the wood.

"Link, Bearer of Courage," she greeted him. Her voice unnerved him somehow. "What brings you to my grove?"

He removed his hat and bowed respectfully. "Great Fairy. I come to seek your favour."

"And I shall grant it. But know that I will only bestow my blessing upon you once; you may ask but one favour, and then leave this place and never return."

"I know," he said. "I just need you to answer a question for me."

Although the Great Fairy's quicksilver features did not change, he sense a mild surprise. "If it is within my knowledge, I shall grant it."

He nodded, took a deep breath, and began.

"The ruler of this city, Princess Zelda, is sick. Somehow, she has corrupted herself beyond all recognition. No blood flows in her veins, her skin is cold to the touch, and her heart does not beat. She is an unfeeling, uncaring person, so different from the Zelda I knew and loved once. I need to know what makes her this way. What has she done to herself, and how can I fix it?"

The Great Fairy was silent.

"Um... that's all. That's my question."

She spoke. "I'm afraid I must send you away disappointed, Hero."

"Oh." He'd been so sure that if he just knew the reason behind Zelda's dramatic change, he could begin to help her. Had he just wasted his request?

"I can only give you a partial answer. I do not know why the Princess Zelda chooses to rule this city the way she does, nor why she cares so little for the welfare of its citizens, or the corruption that runs deep inside of it. But I can tell you what she has done to herself; the steps she has taken in her desire to become a God."

"I don't know if I want to hear this..." Navi tugged on Link's sleeve. "Maybe we should go."

"I have to know." He pushed the fairy away. "Please, tell me!"

The Great Fairy's shining eyes regarded him evenly. "Very well. The Princess Zelda is sustained by the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, a power that she has slowly corrupted beyond all recognition. Her physical body is not sustained by food, nor drink, nor breath, but by an ancient and dark magic that encompasses the entirety of Hyrule. She has, through centuries of magic, isolated the purest source of her power and imbued within it her very soul."

As the Great Fairy spoke, Link slowly began to realize the truth behind the magic circle he had found hidden within the castle. The circle had been but a fraction of something much larger, something as big as Hyrule itself. "The whole city..." he whispered.

"Yes. Although its purpose is beyond my knowledge, she is using the Triforce to fuel powerful magic, the design of which is woven into the very city itself. The true heart of the spell is the Triforce, the sacred power made physical and turned into a reliquary for her soul. Somewhere within the city it sleeps, concealed away for centuries and guarded by her most powerful magic. If you wish to ever return Zelda to mortality, be it to slay her or to help her, you must break this spell."

She stopped speaking. The distant light began to fade, and slowly her sliver form began to trickle downwards toward the pool beneath her feet. "This is all that I can tell you, Link. Our counsel is at an end, your favour has been granted. Farewell."

"Wait!" he said. "How do I break the spell? Where do I go?"

The last ebbings of her voice came to him on a gentle forest breeze. "This knowledge... has already been provided to you."

The smell of dust, of damp stone and mildew. He was back in the undercity once more.

"I'd better get back to the castle," he said. "Maybe I can come up with some excuse for why I was gone."

"Um- Follow me!" Navi said. "I'll guide you back the way we came!"

Link was quite certain that he could find his way back to the castle perfectly fine on his own; the gigantic structure dominated the Hyrule sky and was pretty impossible to miss. But the fairy had already zipped off through the ruined streets.

"Navi, where are you going?" He jogged after her, too tired to put up with her exuberance. "You can slow down, there's no rush-"

He passed by an alley, one that he recognized. It was the same one he'd passed three times earlier, when Navi had been leading him in circles on his way to the fountain.

Something moved in the darkness there. At first he thought it was his eyes playing tricks on him, but then he realized it was the shadows themselves that were moving- and that the alleyway was dark, far far too dark. The blackness was almost complete.

For a brief, horrific moment he thought that the Nameless had come for him.

Then he realized the truth, as his own shadow rose up off the ground and tangled itself around his feet. He tripped and fell forward, but didn't hit the cobblestones- instead he fell through a disorienting, inky darkness as gravity flipped around him and suddenly he was hanging upside down.

Reflexively, he tried to shield his face from the fall that never came. He was grabbed roughly by the collar and flipped rightside-up, and before he could react there were massive hands clenching his throat, pinning him to the filthy brick wall.

Cruel eyes and matted red hair leered at him out of the darkness, and the fingers slowly tightening around Link's throat were like bars of iron.

"Traitor," Ganondorf spat, and that one word was filled with hatred. His once-proud features were twisted in rage, and his eyes seethed with the fury of a thousand past lives. Link was staring into the face of the enemy that had hounded his very existence- this was not Ganondorf the revolutionary, but Ganon the black king, terrible and unforgiving.

"Don't..." Link tried to speak, but Ganondorf tightened his grip even more. Link tried in vain to pry his fingers loose, but the feeble effort was useless in the face of the Gerudo King's overwhelming strength.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Navi shouted, zipping back and forth anxiously. "I'm so sorry, Link! They said they needed to see you, so I led you here, but I didn't know they were going to _kill _you! _Pleeeaaasse_ don't kill him, you said you wouldn't!"

A very familiar giggle echoed out of the shadows. Midna slinked into view behind Ganondorf. "Link's been a very bad boy lately. King of Hyrule, are we? Moving up in the world. And all you had to do was sell out your loyal comrades."

He tried to indicate that he didn't know what she was talking about, that he hadn't sold out anybody. His vision was starting to blur.

"I thought you were somebody special, Link," Midna said. "Somebody I could believe in. You make me sick."

"Guys!" Navi pleaded, frantically now as Link's struggles grew weaker. "Let him go, you're killing him, STOP IT!"

Midna watched solemnly. "Are you going to kill him?" she asked mildly.

For a moment, Link saw the fury and the hate in Ganondorf's eyes, and knew he was going to die. But the Gerudo King blinked once, twice, and then something changed within him. He shook his head and let Link fall to the dirty cobblestones.

"No," he said. "No, I'm not that man any more."

Link coughed up spittle that was dark with blood, hacking and taking in great hoarse breaths that seared his neck. He was too weak to stand, too weak even to support himself with his hands and knees. He collapsed into a heap on the ground as his vision swam and faded in and out of darkness.

His hand was draped over a massive shoulder, and Ganondorf slowly lifted him to his feet. "You still have a lot to answer for."

"Didn't..." His voice was a reedy whisper. "Don't know..."

Midna swatted lazily at the fairy that was still hovering protectively over Link's head. "Way to almost blow our cover, Navi, she said. "Leading him past here three times? We told you, bring him here _after_ he talks to the Great Fairy."

"I'm sorry," Navi apologized. "I was so nervous, and... why did you have to hurt him? I thought you were friends!"

"Friends don't leave friends to die in avalanches," Midna said coldly. "That's like, one of the first rules of friendship."

Ganondorf led him a little ways down the alley and sat him down on a convenient piece of rubble. "Drink this."

Link took the water gratefully and slowly sipped at it, massaging his bruised throat.

Crouching down so that he was at eye level with Link, Ganondorf explained: "Nearly every single member of the Gerudo hidden in Hyrule has been murdered. Our hideouts have been looted and burned to the ground."

"Wasn't me..." Link said. "I... didn't even know. Couldn't have been... I don't know where the hideouts are. What about... Viscen?

Ganondorf shook his head. "I knew Viscen was the ex-Commandant, I knew he was still reporting to Zelda. I never trusted him with that information."

"I swear... I didn't know... would never..."

Ganondorf cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No. Of course you wouldn't. I... didn't think. I was hasty, it seems. But you have other things to answer for."

Navi landed on Link's shoulder and gently touched the deep bruises there. He felt her magic slowly begin its healing work, as breath came more easily to him. "As do you. You lied to me."

As he watched the magic take effect on Link, Ganondorf absentmindedly rubbed his own neck. There was a significant scar there from the incident on the mountaintop. "Hm. Fair enough, I suppose. I'm sure you understand why I had to deceive you, although that is no excuse."

Link still didn't trust Ganondorf. He wasn't sure if he ever could. "We can talk about this another time. Right now..." He had to pause to cough and spit out the blood that had pooled in his mouth- "Right now, there are more important things to worry about."

"Like what?" Midna asked.

"Zelda."

"I assume this is related to your meeting with the Great Fairy?" Ganondorf said.

He nodded. "She's not right. I think we can help her, but first we have to-"

"No," Midna cut her off. "No helping. Zelda dies."

Ganondorf motioned for Link to continue. "I'm inclined to agree, but let's hear all the details first."

Link slowly recounted the story of his encounter with the Great Fairy, pausing frequently to take sips from Ganondorf's waterskin and massaging his throat. As Navi's magic began to take effect, however, his voice grew clearer and the pain faded to a dull ache.

When he had finished, Ganondorf slumped onto the stone beside him and lowered his face into his hands. "The whole city..." he whispered. "Zelda designed every aspect of Hyrule herself. She drew the peoples of Hyrule close to her and built this prison for them. And it's been happening for centuries..."

"That's Twili magic," Midna said.

They both turned to look at her.

She twirled a strand of fiery hair around her finger thoughtfully. "Not the city thing. But the magically binding a part of yourself to an object thing? It's an ancient ritual of our people."

"Why do they do it?" Ganondorf asked. "What's it for?"

"It's... tough to explain. The concept is that you remove a part of your soul from your body, tempering your emotions and focusing your thoughts. The removed part of yourself sits in this object- it has to be something magical, something powerful- and acts as a, an amplification for your magic. It's like... you know how a lens will focus sunlight into a beam? Twili priests used reliquaries to hone their minds and attain enlightenment."

"What did you call them?" Link interrupted her.  
She rolled her eyes. "Reliquaries. An object that contains a part of yourself is a reliquary for your soul. It's old, lost magic- why the only other people who've done it are- Um..."

Ganondorf was paying very close attention now. "Zant."

"Yeah... that helmet he's always wearing. And... also, kind of... uh, me."

Link did a double-take. "Wait, _you_ did this?"

She scoffed. "Yeah, genius. Remember my hat?" She waved a hand over her head, outlining the shape of the strange helm she used to wear.

"So that's why you changed! Your reliquary was destroyed."

"Right. It's extremely powerful magic. The spell changes you, inside and out. It drove Zant insane, and it trapped me in that imp form." She coughed awkwardly. "Most Twili kept their reliquary on their person at all times, in order to produce the most refined form of the enchantment. I can't even imagine how powerful someone would have to be to use their reliquary to fuel magic on a scale like you've described."

"It probably helps that her reliquary is one of the most powerful magic artifacts to ever exist," Link added.

They contemplated this silently for a few moments. Ganondorf broke the tension: "This information is valuable. We need to plan our next move."

"I hope we can do that planning over a couple drinks," Midna said, "Because I sure need one."

"I second that," Link lifted himself painfully from the dusty rock.

"We'll go to Telma's," Ganondorf decided. "With Gerudo being hunted down all over the city, it might be a good idea to suggest she go into hiding. She's always been one of our more overt supporters."

Link briefly debated returning to the castle, as he wasn't exactly feeling too happy about the circumstances of his reunion with Ganondorf and Midna. It really was a choice between the lesser of two evils. "Fine. Let's go to Telma's." He stood up and followed them.

They made their way along the gloomy avenues of the undercity, navigating the abandoned streets with ease as Navi floated along behind them. Telma's bar was close to the western gate, and only a short walk away along Thunderhead Road, a long street that rose along the circumference of the city walls, all the way through the lower levels of the Hyrule up into the wealthy Dragonroost Quarter.

"So who's been carrying out these attacks? Are the soldiers raiding Gerudo hideouts?" Link asked.

"No, that would be too obvious. It would turn the population of Hyrule against them," Ganondorf said. "There's a dark sorceress named Veran who leads a gang of thugs- she's been hunting down Gerudo. Veran's been in Zelda's pocket for years."

Link thought back to the conversation he'd had with Viscen. About how deeply the corruption in Hyrule ran. "She has to know that you're here. She'll find us."

Midna gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? Nobody, and I mean nobody, is better than laying low than me or the big G here."

"I agree that Telma's is bit of an obvious hiding spot," Ganondorf acquiesced. "As soon as we make sure she's safe, we work out our next move and disappear for a while."

"When I came back to the Hyrule a few days ago, she tracked me down in less than half an hour," Link said. "We know the city is shaped according to her will, and that her magic runs through it. As long as we're in Hyrule, we're playing on her turf."

They were close to Skyview Street, the main thoroughfare that led out the western gates, and the streets were full of travellers, merchants, pilgrims, and thieves hurrying back and forth. It was the middle of the afternoon, the busiest time of the day. The sun shone brightly overhead and the city walls loomed large just a few hundred metres away.

"Let's hurry up," Ganondorf said. "We need to work out a plan and get moving before nightfall."

"I don't suppose we could risk moving at night?" Midna asked. "It's one thing she'd never expect."

Ganondorf shook his head. "Still not worth the risk. We'll get Telma into hiding, and then find a good location in the undercity. It's enough of a maze down there that we could hide for..."

He trailed off, slack-jawed.

"Ganondorf?" Midna waved her hand in front of his face. "Hey, what's up? Anybody home? Link, you seeing this-" She turned to Link, who was also standing obliviously in the middle of the busy street, staring down at his feet.

"You guys are creeping me out."

The city shook, ever so slightly, and Navi caught on to the fact that something was happening. "Hey!" She shouted, right into Midna's ear. "Something is happening!"

The foundations of Hyrule trembled again, and this time people all around them were catching on to the faint tremors and the persistent thrum of magic deep below their feet.

"Goddesses..." Ganondorf whispered. "What is she doing?"

'She knows you're here," Link said.

Midna was fed up. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

Light erupted from the ground, golden and blinding, beams of it shooting up into the sky from all over the city. For a brief moment, the streets themselves were luminescent as grand patterns traced themselves in light all throughout Hyrule.

It was the magic circle that Link had found inside the castle, on a much, much larger scale. Zelda had triggered the spell that enveloped all of Hyrule.

A wall of light rose from the western sky. As the panicked populace looked frantically around them, the shimmering pane expanded until it encircled the entirety of the city, sealing off Hyrule completely from the outside world. The magical barrier closed far above them, blocking the sky and replacing it with a ceiling of gold. Within the span of a minute, the entire city had been encased within a giant dome of magic.

"She doesn't want us going anywhere," Link commented.

People were emptying their homes to stand in the street and look on in awe; the general atmosphere was one of fear and confusion. Ganondorf began shunting people roughly aside as he hurried toward Telma's. "Let's get off the streets," he said. "I have a feeling things are about to go from bad to worse."

"How could things get worse?" Midna asked. And then she said "Oh," as things began to get worse.

The light cast by Zelda's magic began to fade, and the barrier itself began to fade slowly into opacity. Already the sun's light was filtered into a gentle orange haze, reminiscent of twilight, and was gradually growing fainter and fainter.

Link began to shove his way hurriedly through the crowd. Telma's bar was just around the corner, and he had a feeling that all hell would break loose once people began to catch on to what was happening.

"It's getting darker!" Someone shouted.

"The sun's going out!"

"Get inside, get inside!"

Chaos broke out in a matter of seconds.

People began to rush into the nearest buildings and slam the doors. Suddenly displaced homeowners drew weapons and attempted to force their way back inside their domiciles, only to be met with violent resistance from the impromptu squatters.

Fighting broke out almost immediately as, all over Hyrule, the crowds of people that had flooded the streets all at once began to hurry inside and bar the doors.

"Gods damn it-" Link drew the Master Sword. He'd lost sight of Ganondorf and Midna, but was able to keep the facade of Telma's bar straight ahead of him. He hurried towards the familiar establishment, fighting the throng of citizens desperate for any kind of shelter.

Light continued to fade. The streets were growing very dark, very fast.

"Over here!" Ganondorf bellowed, and Link pushed towards the booming voice. The entire city had begun to cry out in terror, and panicked screams echoed all around him.

"MOVE!" He bellowed, clanging the Master Sword against his shield and whirling it over his head. The tactic granted him the briefest of openings as the crowd pushed back, away from the gleaming blade.

Link barrelled forward, using his shield to knock people aside. He heard more shouts and the sounds of violence behind him, but did not alter his gaze from the door in front of him.

It was much like his first night in the city. The door to Telma's was swung wide open, golden light spilling out into the deepening darkness. Ganondorf stood in the doorframe, pushing away the violent crowd.

Someone slammed into him from behind, arms wrapping around his already tender neck. Red hair spilled across his vision. "Hhk...!"

"Oh, right, the neck! Sorry!" Midna eased her grip. "Listen, I'll clear a path, just run!"

'Clearing a path' turned out to be a gout of flames, once again shocking the crowd just enough to give Link an opening. He put his head down and charged through, Midna still clinging to him.

"Inside, go!" Ganondorf shifted just enough to let them in, and as soon as they were across the threshold slammed the door shut. "A table, get a table!" he shouted.

The patrons inside the bar were as frantic as the crowd outside, arming themselves with chair legs and broken bottles and pushing back the people trying to climb in through the shattered windows.

Link flipped one of the tables over and slid it across the floor, where Ganondorf jammed it underneath the door handle.

"Get to the windows upstairs, you damn fools!" Telma was yelling. "Groose, for the Godesses' sake, where are those nails?"

A burly, redheaded youth bounded up from the cellar and threw a jar of nails at Telma, who promptly began to nail boards over the windows. "Easy, granny, I got everything under control."

"Call me granny one more time, and I'll throw you out of here!"

Groose paled. "Granny- you wouldn't!"

Telma sighed. "Just help, would you?"

Using planks of wood torn from the bar, the floor, and the tables, they boarded up every window and door of Telma's bar, doing their best to shut out the pleading of those still trapped outside. Midna dashed back and forth, casting protective spells over each one of the improvised barricades.

"Ganondorf," Link said, "We can't just leave those people."

Ganondorf gritted his teeth and resumed nailing the door shut. "That beast will be coming straight for us. If it gets inside these doors, everybody in here is dead. We can do nothing for the people trapped out in the streets, but we can save ourselves, and we can save everybody in this bar."

Outside, the artificial night had completely enveloped the city. Screams of an entirely different kind were beginning to echo from somewhere in the undercity- and not too far away.

"If it's coming for us, we can't be here," Link said. "We're putting all these people's lives at risk."

"I know," Ganondorf took a step back and admired their handiwork. A lot of elbow grease and a little bit of magic had resulted in sturdy fortifications that were layered with minor banishing wards, ensuring that they would have plenty of advance notice should anything try to break in. "But running out there now without a plan would be suicide. We need to think carefully about our next course of action."

"I think I know what step one is." Midna had been listening in on their conversation. She raised a hand. "Telma! How does a round of whiskey sound?"

Telma leaned wearily on what was left of the bar. "Sounds heavenly."

"Don't mix it with anything," Link asked.

"Not a chance, kiddo." She pulled a bottle from beneath the counter and took a long pull. "Not a damn chance."

Midna helped herself from the selection on the wall behind Telma. "First good idea Link's had since the day I met him." She drank deeply, and then handed the bottle off to Groose. "So. Zelda huh? Damned bitch," she spat. "Cowardly whore, that's all she is."

"She's no fool." Ganondorf picked up a dusty glass tumbler from where it had rolled during the commotion and poured himself three fingers of Telma's finest. "Zelda wants us to act rashly. To make a mistake. This is intended to goad us into reckless action- she knows that the three of us together are a likely match for her."

The three of them sat on the floor in front of the boarded-up door, speaking under their breath.

"She probably knows that we're aware of her secret," Link said. "I think this might be more of a reactionary measure than you think, Ganondorf. We know how to harm her, now, and she can't be comfortable with that."

"You're saying she's scared?" Midna's eyebrows rose into the red curls of her hair.

"I don't know," Link said. "I don't know if she can even feel fear. But look at it this way. Us knowing her secret is probably the first thing in a very, very long time that she hasn't planned for."

"So we have to act fast," Ganondorf said. "Leaving the city is impossible. I think it's pretty evident that our first priority needs to be breaking the spell over Hyrule. Do you know for certain where Zelda's reliquary will be?"

Link, fortunately, was still carrying the compass that the mask salesman had given to him. "This led me to the circle she's got hidden up in the castle. I'm pretty sure that it will guide us to the center of the larger spell, if we follow it." He turned it on its side, and the needle pointed almost straight down.

"It must be in the undercity," Midna said. "I bet that's why she created the Nameless- to keep anybody from ever venturing down there."

"You're more familiar with this magic than either of us," Ganondorf said. "Would her reliquary be at the center of the enchantment?"

Midna twirled her hair between her fingers absentmindedly. "It would have to be. The reliquary acts as a focal point for the spellcaster's energy- and there's another thing..."

The tone of her voice did not bode well. "What's that?" Asked Link.

"What we've seen today is probably not the full power of the enchantment. I don't know what she's trying to do, but if she gets her hands on the entire Triforce, the amount of power she can channel through these runes would be amplified a thousandfold."

"She already thinks she's a god," Link said, "But with the complete Triforce, she will be."

Ganondorf tapped his hands on the table, thinking. He came to a decision. "Very well. We cannot afford to sit idle. Also, I think it would be best if we were to split up, and hopefully divide Zelda's efforts to pursue us."

Link shared an uncertain glance with Midna. "Split up? Where would we go?"

"Beneath the city there are Goron mines that tunnel into the rock. I made it the emergency refuge for any Gerudo members should the worst come to pass- and it has. I say that we head down there and rendezvous with any survivors, and then we'll hunt down this... reliquary that's keeping Zelda alive."

They continued to drink, and Ganondorf explained the routes they would each take to the Gerudo's last resort hideaway. The sounds of panic coming from the streets outside had faded into an ominous silence.

"No point in delaying the inevitable," Ganondorf sighed. "It's important we get moving right away. I'll leave now. Make sure to give me plenty of time to get away from here before the next one of you follows. An hour or two should do."

They stood up and began prying the boards off of the doorframe.

"Hey, hey, hey" said Groose, the burly young man who had helped them barricade the door in the first place. "What are you doing that for?"

"Leaving," Ganondorf said, and he left it at that.

"If you take down the barricades, that monster will get in here!"

"Board it up again once we're gone," Ganondorf shrugged. "It makes no difference. We won't be coming back. But these boards were to keep those people out- They're little more than an inconvenience to the beast that dwells in the darkness."

Almost as an afterthought, he stopped. "Navi," he said, "Go with Midna. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Link had almost forgotten about the tiny fairy, but she was still flitting aimlessly about over their heads. "Sure thing! Don't worry, Midna, I've got your back!"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Midna complained.

Ganondorf tossed aside the last fragment of wood, took another pull from the bottle of whiskey, and bid them farewell: "See you two in a few hours. Telma... Thank you for your hospitality. Goodbye."

"Gods help you," Telma said.

And then he was gone. The door still hung open and through its frame Link could make out the hulking figure of Ganondorf fading into the darkness. He glanced up and down the street, drew the hood of his cloak over his face, and broke into a light jog, disappearing from Link's vision.

"Close that goddamned door," Midna said. "The shadows out there are more than just the absence of light."

Link closed the door. Then he drew up a chair and sat down in front of it, sliding the Master Sword from his back and placing it on his lap. "Groose," he said.

"Uh... yeah? What is it?"

"I'm going to watch this door for a few hours, but then I'll need to leave. Do you have a blade?"

Groose took a moment to adjust his hair. "I sure do. It's upstairs, with my things. I call it- Groosecalibur! And I give you my word that I shall use it to defend this bar to the death."

The solemnity of the vow was broken by Midna. "You can't name your sword after yourself."

"But it's traditional to give the swords of great heroes legendary names."

"Great hero? What's so great about you?"

Winking, he struck a pose and flexed as hard as he could.

Link interrupted the bizarre exchange. "Listen, you don't need to go on about defending this place 'to the death.' I just want to make sure there's someone here to stand guard once I'm gone."

Groose deflated a little bit, seemingly disappointed that he wouldn't be getting the chance to make a heroic last stand. "Oh. Well, no problem, buddy. I saw a couple Gorons in the corner of the place too, I'm sure they're pretty strong. I'll ask them to lend a hand."

The next hour or so passed in apprehensive silence, save for a few quiet sentences exchanged between Link and Midna as they sat in front of the door. Finally, it came time for Midna to leave.

"Well..." she began, before trailing off.

"Be careful," Link said. "I'll see you in a bit."

She smiled grimly. "Yeah. You watch yourself, too."

"Bye Link!" Navi said. She was tucked into one of the pockets on Midna's cloak so that her luminescence wouldn't attract attention.

"Gimme that bottle, I'm taking it with me," she snatched up the half-empty bottle of whiskey.

"Drinking too much is bad for you!" Navi chirruped from her pocket.

Midna stepped out into the night, closing the door behind her. Link heard her speaking under her breath: "Okay, if you're going to be riding along on this trip, you are going to have to _be quiet_..."

And then she was gone.

"Saving Hyrule, huh?" Said Groose, from behind him. He had retrieved his sword- a well-used bastard sword, the haft stained with sweat. Link took the blade from him and examined it, testing the edge.

"A fine weapon," he pronounced. The sword was too heavy for his liking, although he supposed that it would suit a larger man like Groose just fine.

"You know, I used to dream of going on adventures and saving the world," Groose said wistfully. "Of being the hero that would slay the Nameless, lead a rebellion, maybe rescue a fair damsel. But now I see guys like you, and Ganondorf, and that angry chick you hang out with, and I realize maybe I'm not cut out for that stuff."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm 'cut out' for it, too," Link said. "But somebody has to act, if only for the sake of people who can't."

"See, that's what I'm talking about. I just wanted to be famous. But then I realized, I have friends." He made a sweeping gesture with his hands, at Telma, at an old woman hunched tiredly over a table, at a pair of Gorons, at all the haggard patrons who had been thrown together into this mess simply by the coincidence of being in Telma's bar when the sky went dark. "And it's all I can do just to make sure they don't get hurt. And I might not even succeed at that. So, I guess what I'm saying is, that I respect what you do, man."

Link wasn't too sure how Groose expected him to respond. "Thanks... I guess. Hey, if we manage to get this whole mess straightened out, we might need a few extra hands in our gang."

"The Gerudo, right?" Groose nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, I was thinking of starting my own vigilante group. What do you think is a better name? 'Groose's Avengers,' or 'The Groose Team?'"

Link smirked and shook his head. "I think maybe you should concentrate on protecting the people in here for now."

"Yeah. That's what I figured."

Link waited a bit longer, until finally he grew too impatient to sit any more. "I'm leaving. See you around," he said, grasping Groose's hand in a firm handshake.

"Be careful," Telma said.

Link nodded. "Goodbye. Hopefully I'll see you again."

And with that glib comment he stepped outside, into the darkness without a dawn, and set off down the street. The faint light of Telma's bar faded behind him, and then he turned a corner, and it was gone.

Alone on the streets of Hyrule, Link took the first steps on his long journey downwards into its darkest depths.

* * *

I'm a bit apprehensive about the content of this chapter, as it introduces some elements that are entirely foreign to the Zelda universe. From the very beginning of this story I'd wanted Zelda to be sustained by some sort of unnatural magic, reflecting her strongest attribute- wisdom and knowledge. Inthis story, she's used her vast knowledge of magic to alter the very nature of the Triforce itself, turning it into something resembling a phylactery- a vessel used in fiction for containing one's soul.

I wanted to make it clear, however, that the Zelda is more than a soulless lich, and that the Triforce is something a bit more complex than just a container for her soul. With that in mind, I've used the term 'reliquary,' which refers to a container for something sacred, most commonly the bones of somebody important, such as a saint. I plan to reveal a lot more as this story continues to move towards its finale.


	25. Chapter 25

Unfortunately it's been a little while since I was able to update this. Because of the closely intertwined nature of the next few chapters, I had to work ahead considerably, making sure that there were no errors in the continuity of the story.

* * *

25

The Goron Mines. A Troubled Girl. The Moon Gate.

* * *

"You're very, very lucky."

The voice seemed to come from three places at once, the word _lucky_ echoing around the empty street before vanishing into silence. Link's hand snapped to his sword, and he eased it out of his sheath.

"Idiot! Put the blade away!" Hissed, panicky. "She'll find you!"

"Show yourself," Link declared. He kept the Master Sword raised in front of him.

"Up here, you fool."

He looked up, scanning the rooftops. There, perched on a chimney, was a diminutive figure with a familiar silhouette. "Vaati?"

The wind mage slid gracefully off the roof and floated gently down to the cobblestones, his purple cloak swirling about his feet. "Yes, it's me, congratulations, you figured it out. Put the damned sword away, hurry!"

Link took a step forward and levelled the blade at Vaati's throat. "Why should I listen to you?"

Vaati raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. "You really want to know why? You should listen to me because right now Zelda has half of the damn castle and one nameless monstrosity out scouring the city for you, and waving a sword with a very unique and very powerful magical signature around is an extremely stupid thing to do if you want to stay hidden."

Link narrowed his eyes. "I have a piece of the Triforce. That's more powerful than this sword any day."

The look on Vaati's face was one of both contempt and exasperation. "Yes, but right now the _entire gods-damned city_ is bathed in the magic of the Triforce. Your sword stands out! Now put it away!"

Reluctantly, Link sheathed the Master Sword. "What the hell do you want?"

Relieved, Vaati lowered his arms. "As I was saying, you are lucky I found you first. I propose an alliance." With an exaggerated smile, Vaati proffered his hand.

"You must be joking if you think I'm going to trust you."

He winced theatrically. "Fine. Fine. I can't blame you for not trusting me. But just hear me out, okay?"

Link started walking away.

Vaati glided along after him, his feet never touching the ground. "I can only guess at your intentions, but how about you just let me theorize for a few minutes?"

When he got no response, Vaati continued. "Now, clearly something must have happened for Zelda to have taken such radical action, correct? She's worried. Obviously whatever you've done must have alarmed her to such an extent that she was forced to act."

The wind mage swept around in front of Link so that he was floating backwards as he talked.

"The spell has placed a barrier around Hyrule, so that nobody may enter or leave. Zelda needs the complete Triforce, so I can deduce that our good friend Ganondorf must be back in our fair city. No doubt that girl Zant hates is with him. What's her name? Minda?"

"Get to the point," Link snapped.

"Oh, so now you want to hear what I have to say." Vaati's eyes betrayed his seriousness. "Despite the immense danger in being outside in the darkness, here you are. Whatever you plan to do, it must be extremely important for you to take this risk. The most likely possibility is that you believe you have a way to break the spell that Zelda has cast over Hyrule."

Link stopped. Not because of what Vaati was saying, but because he had to stop and double-check his bearings. The same streets he had navigated numerous times in broad daylight became foreign to him in the darkness. "Okay. You're right. Happy?"

Vaati laughed. "I'm never happy. You can't possibly know what it's like, to be just an afterthought in the Goddesses' great plan. To know that nothing you can possibly do will ever matter, ever."

"Yes, well, excuse me if I don't feel too bad for you."

"I'm not asking you to feel bad for me. I'm _telling_ you that I loathe the gods and all that they stand for, and that if there's a chance, any chance at all, for me to break this endless cycle then that chance lies with you, right now."

Now, finally, he had said something that caught Link's interest. He stopped and turned. "So what will you do?"

"You don't trust me," Vaati said, bluntly. "You can't. So all I'm going to do for now is give you some advice: Loyalty is fleeting. Mine included. Much will change with the balance of power. If you _can_ destroy Zelda's magic, if you do put an end to the beast that dwells in the depths, and if the day comes when the Princess falls... well, I wouldn't be too surprised if a lot of loyalties change that day. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Link looked into Vaati's eyes for a long while. "Yeah," he said, finally. "I understand."

* * *

Within the very foundations of Hyrule, beneath even the dank empty roads of the undercity, lay the mines.

A vast network of tunnels and quarries, carved into the rock over the course of centuries. The stone to build Hyrule had to come from somewhere, and the Gorons were perfectly suited to the task of mining vast amounts of ore from beneath the city.

Link was below even the riverbed now, he knew. This far underground, the heat was oppressive: molten streams of rock flowed by in deep channels carved by the Gorons, and steam and smoke billowed from the enormous furnaces used to smelt the ore.

A foul-smelling river ran alongside the path he walked. This far underground, the copious runoff from the city above formed rushing waters and deep underground pools, and the sound of them mingled with the cacophony of the mines to create an oppressive din. The Gorons used the waters for both cooling and waste disposal, which only served to add to the impressive amount of pollutants that saturated them already.

So it was really saying something that Link was tempted to dip his head into the water, if only for a temporary reprieve from the heat. The rocky walls of the cavern acted like a convection oven, reflecting and containing the heat of the mines.

"Hold it right there, bud."

A deep voice rang out from somewhere behind him. Link knew better to turn and look for the source, when literally any rock could be a Goron in disguise.

Instead he slowly raised his hands over his head and said, in a loud, clear voice: "My name is Link. I'm with the Gerudo. I'm looking for Ganondorf and Midna."

"Oh yeah? What's the password?"

_Password_? Link racked his brains trying to remember if there had been one or not. "I... There isn't a password. Midna probably told you to say that as a joke."

There was a silence that stretched out uncomfortably.

"I gotta say, you're pretty sharp, bud. Come on, we'll show you where your friends are."

Suddenly, all around him, boulders sprouted legs and arms. The Gorons were by nature a fairly friendly and peaceful race, but Link was always wary of their prodigious strength. He wasn't sure if even Ganondorf could measure up to one if it came to a contest of brute force.

"Don't worry," said the friendly-seeming Goron, noticing his worried expression "We're one your side. My handle's Gorko. And you?"

"Link." He refrained from shaking Gorko's hand for fears of his own being crushed.

The Gorons led him through the mines along through a series of winding tunnels, so filled with twists and turned that he began to worry that he'd be unable to find his way out again. Presently they came upon long rows of small caves hewn into the rock, what Link could only assume were Goron houses. Each one seemed to be decorated differently- some were adorned with Dodongo skulls above the entrance and other had bomb flowers and pottery in their 'front yard.'

They came to one cave that was unadorned. A crude wooden door prevented him from seeing who was inside, but the familiar flickering light of a fireplace shone through the cracks. Link knocked on the door.

"Who 's there?"

"Link."

The door swung open and there was Ganondorf, hunched over in the small stone frame. "Hurry, inside." He gestured hurriedly with his free hand. "Gorko, you keep watch."

"Sure thing."

The first thing Link noticed when he stepped inside was that it was crowded. He'd been expecting just Ganondorf, Midna, and Navi, but there were at least fifty people crammed into the cave, if not more.

All that was left of the Gerudo.

"Well, look who it is!" said a familiar voice, and suddenly Link was wrapped up in an enthusiastic embrace. "Bet you thought I'd packed it in, yeah?"

He couldn't believe it. "Ashei? You're alive!"

His old comrade stepped back and punched him in the shoulder, sporting a rare grin. "Sure am. After we got separated when we busted outta the castle I managed to find my way to the Greatfish cell, which was a bunch of Zora. I hid out with them for a while, but only a few of us managed to make it down here when Veran's gang started hunting down Gerudo."

Link saw that among the people gathered in the cave there was at least five or six Zora. They seemed extremely uncomfortable in the dusty, heated confines.

Ashei stepped back and clapped her hands, the smile slipping off her face. She clapped her hands loudly. "Alright, boss. We're all here. What's the plan?"

"Yeah!" Somebody yelled, overhearing her. "What are we going to do?"

There were more cries, of "Tell us, Ganondorf," and "We are still loyal!"

The room fell into an expectant hush, all eyes on Ganondorf. The leader of the Gerudo towered naturally over the room, and as his eyes swept across the crowded confines fifty solemn faces looked up at him.

"This," he began slowly, thoughtfully. "Is our darkest day."

He gathered the words silently inside his mind.

"Our brotherhood has been shattered. Brothers and sisters have been murdered under cover of darkness, the honour of a noble death stolen from them through subterfuge and treachery. A terrible magic has engulfed all of Hyrule, and high above us, the Princess defies the will of the gods and works to destroy us all. We are in the grip of an endless night, my friends, and the beast that we have feared for so long now roams the streets, unchecked and sleepless."

Glancing around the room, Link noticed that there was one person who seemed entirely unconcerned by Ganondorf's speech. No, not unconcerned, but-distracted.

Midna stared quietly into the fire, her eyes unblinking, her jaw slack in thought. Absentmindedly, she opened and closed her fist, a small flame winking in and out of existence each time she did so.

Ganondorf paused before the next sentence, not for effect, but because it was difficult for him to speak what he knew to be true.

"The Gerudo are dead," he said. "We are all that remains. Fifty lost souls, hiding from the dark. Fifty out of the hundreds that were once our siblings. But all is not yet lost."

What could be consuming Midna so? Link did not care for the look on her face at all.

"The princess, in her arrogance, assumes that we are finished. That we are cowards. That we will stay down here, trapped like animals in this hole, that we lack the will to fight! Do we?"

"No!" Said a few of the attentive members of the audience. Ashei chimed in with a 'Hell no!'

"The princess claims to see all within this city, but her arrogance has left her blind! She believes that knives and darkness are enough to destroy a noble cause, but does a noble cause die an ignoble death?"

"No!" More people shouted, the Gorons especially.

"And can even this darkness not be overcome, illuminated by the fury that burns within a thousand righteous souls? Will the people of Hyrule not rise up, and cast aside the shackles that bind them when the appointed hour is come?"

"Hyrule rises!" Ashei bellowed, and her call was taken up in earnest.

"HYRULE RISES!"

"She thinks us nothing more than puppets, mere dolls that bend to her whims. Are you a mere plaything? Or are you real men, real women, who will forge your will in the fires of battle to come?"

"HYRULE RISES!"

"The magic and the darkness that bind us are nothing more than trickeries, illusions created by cowards who fear the might of the people they oppress! But the time has come when these deceptions will fall, fall before the fires of justice!"

Ganondorf drew the greatsword at his side, the massive blade that was made of pure light. It illuminated fifty rapt faces and the hot fury that was written on every one.

"HYRULE RISES!" Ganondorf thundered, the very rock beneath their feet seeming to tremble with his voice.

"HYRULE RISES!" Echoed back the last remnants of the Gerudo. For one instant Link saw Ganondorf as he was long ago, in another life; a warrior king resplendent in flame and blood, riding hellbent towards war with a hundred thousand warriors screaming behind him.

"Go from this place," Ganondorf said. "All of you, steal away and hide yourselves, find somewhere safe. Tell nobody, not even me, because the risk of betrayal is too great. But, wherever you go, you must tell the people this: That the hour approaches when this curse will be broken, and when the darkness that covers our city will give way to light. When the sun shines in the sky once more, then you will know that hour has come."

"Spread the word. When the enchantment over the city falls, all true sons and daughters of Hyrule are to march on the castle. The building will empty, and the streets will be filled with citizens who will demand justice at last. Zelda will fall, my friends. Mark my words- the day is coming soon."

As he finished speaking and sheathed the greatsword, Ganondorf was swarmed by the last of his followers as they swore loyalty to him and vengeance against Princess Zelda.

Somebody sidled up next to him and jabbed him in the ribs. It was Midna. "Let's get out of here," she said. "I wanna to talk to you."

She certainly seemed distressed. So Link followed her out of the crowded cave, past Gorko, and down the corridor chiselled into the stone.

Midna wavered slightly as she walked, and her breath seemed strangely ragged and uneven. "Did you hear them? She asked suddenly. "Willing to follow him through hell itself. Gods, the fools."

Link realized that Mida was very, very drunk.

"Midna... are you alright?"

She seemed to ignore him. "Hell itself," she mused. "Will any of them follow us there? No. We'll be alone down there, in the dark."

"There are four of us," Link said. "You, me, Navi, and Ganondorf. That's hardly 'alone.'"

She turned and gave him a strange, pitying sort of look. "You don't know what it's like. You haven't seen that darkness. I have."

He remembered the few other times when her barrier of cynicism had failed her, when he had caught a glimpse of the true Midna. How small she had looked then.

"Come on, let's eat something." She pushed aside a heavy wooden door and they stepped into an underground storehouse. Even this close to the heat of the mines and the runoff of the city, it was cool and dry, and crates and barrels of supplies were stacked neatly along the walls.

She slid the top off a crate and reached inside. "Here."

He caught the bottle that she threw at him.

"Down here, they call it 'Rock Polish.'" She cackled. "Heavy stuff."

Midna resumed digging around the storeroom. Link took a pull from the bottle and discovered that she certainly hadn't been kidding- his eyes watered just from the smell of it.

"Wow," he said.

She burst out laughing at the expression on his face, but her mirth quickly faded in the still quiet of the storeroom. Returning to her previous sullen state, she handed him some food: bread, cheese, and a thick slice of salted meat.

Slumping down next to him, she chewed her food and stared at the wall.

"Hey, Midna..." he began, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"Nn," she grunted, indicating the he should continue.

"Tell me what's the matter."

She sighed deeply and tore off a chunk of bread. "You know, Link..." Midna stuffed the bread into her mouth and mumbled around it. "Ugh. Nevermin.' S'not 'mportant."

"You're the one who told me you needed to talk." He grasped her hand. Startled, she turned to face him and he stared into her eyes. "You're not acting right. I'm concerned about you."

For a moment, some savage emotion flashed across her face- was it hate that he saw in her eyes? But then it was gone, and she extracted her hand from his. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you, Link. Well, something I need to tell you, more like. For quite a while."

He didn't say anything, instead waiting for her to finish.

"Something... about me. I haven't been telling you the whole truth."

"So tell me. What is it that has you so troubled?"

"...I don't want you to hate me. But now, it looks like you're going to find out, one way or another... and..."

She covered her face.

"...I can't do it. Tomorrow. I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Midna... you're my friend. Why would I hate you?"

"Because I hate myself." She stood up suddenly. "I'm tired. This was a stupid idea."

"Go to sleep then," he said. "But I'm going to hold you to what you said. You can explain what you were talking about tomorrow."

"I'll have to."

He sat there in the cool, dry storeroom for a while after she left, leaning against barrels of grain and staring at the compass that the mask salesman had given him. The compass that pointed to the very center of the enchantment that encompassed Hyrule.

The needle was still pointing the same direction.

Straight down.

* * *

"Good morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?"

Midna shot Ganondorf a very dirty look and muttered a few filthy words. One of her hands was rubbing tenderly at her temple while the other still clutched a half-full bottle of Goron rock polish.

Ganondorf snatched the bottle away from her before she could take a drink. "I think you've had enough."

"I haven't had any today."

"Well you more than made up for that yesterday." He raised the bottle to his lips and took a pull. "Gods! How can you drink this?"

He took another gulp and passed the bottle to Link. "Either finish that or pour it out. We need to get moving."

Link allowed himself a little pick-me-up, and then upended the bottle and poured its contents on the stone floor. Midna grumbled her dissatisfaction as he did so.

"Whoah, buddy, that's a century of Goron tradition you just poured out!"

Gorko the Goron, their assigned guide through the lower levels of the mines, lumbered up to them. He took the empty bottle from Link and shook his head sadly. "It takes one hundred years just to brew one bottle of this delicacy, you know. There are many Gorons who would kill you for wasting a bottle of our prized rock polish in this way. You are lucky I am not one of them, bud."

"Wow!" Navi said. She was sitting on top of Ganondorf's head. "Is that true?"

Gorko laughed, deep and hearty. "No way, little fairy. This is pure swill. Even I cannot stomach the stuff, to tell you the truth."

"Can we just get moving?" Midna moaned, still clutching her head.

They were standing at the very bottom of one of the mines' immense quarries, a great cavern spanning several kilometres carved into the stone. All along the walls of the vastness, mine carts ran up and down on tracks that crisscrossed and swooped in and out of tunnels bored into the rock.

The far end of the cavern was lit up by the workings of a gigantic smelting facility. Enormous quantities of molten stone flowed into and out of the furnaces, carried to and from the metalworks by deep channels.

Even this far away from the core of the Goron mines, the heat and light given off was immense. Link's hair and tunic were damp with sweat, and it hurt his eyes to look directly at the rivers of lava.

"You know, you should count yourself lucky," Gorko was saying as he trodded along, leading them into one of the mines' many service tunnels. "Very few of you surface-dwellers get to see our mines up close. You wouldn't believe how much rock we dig out of this place. There are at least a hundred caverns just as big as this one."

"Is it safe?" Ganondorf asked. "Shouldn't there be a risk of collapse if you dig out too much from underneath the city?"

Gorko laughed, engaging in the Goron custom of slapping Ganondorf on the back as he did so. It was to Ganondorf's credit that he barely flinched. "You are a funny one, bud! Doubting the power of Goron engineering! Ha!"

The maintenance tunnel was wide, easily wide enough for all of them to stand side-by-side with arms outstretched and not touch the walls. Two sets of tracks for mine carts ran parallel into the gloom ahead, and magic lamps embedded into the sides of the tunnel lit their way.

"No, I think that no matter how much we dig out it will not make a difference."

Midna laughed.

"Why do you say that?" Link asked

Gorko looked back over his shoulder. "You really have no idea how far down these tunnels go, do you?"

"Are you coming all the way to the bottom with us?" Navi chirped.

The goron shuddered. "No way in hell, little fairy buddy. You guys must be crazy to go down there, that's what I think. I'm just taking you to an old passage into the low kingdom."

"The low kingdom?"

It was Midna who answered Link's question. "The dead civilization even further beneath the city than the Gorons. The Twili."

"Is that what they were called?" Gorko seemed surprised. "Never heard of these Twili. Rumour has it they died out centuries ago."

"Oh? Is that so?" Link's voice was a little bit louder than necessary.

"That's what the rumour says." Midna stared straight ahead, not turning to meet Link's eyes boring into her.

"You know, I'm the only one that will even go down as far as the old gateway. Everybody else is too superstitious. Not me though, I love all that old stuff."

They turned down another passage, an offshoot of the main tunnel. This one was considerably narrower and darker, the magic lamps that lit their way spaced farther apart.

"Well, there's that, and..." Gorko gulped audibly. "The you-know-what. The low kingdom is the beginning of its territory. The place under the city where no light reaches. Scary stuff, I tell you. Scary stuff."

"Indeed," Ganondorf seemed wryly amused, somehow. "I heard once that the ghosts of the low kingdom still roam Hyrule, you know. That some of the Twili still walk this world."

"No way!" Gorko's eyes widened. "You pulling my leg?"

"It would be quite a chilling tale," Midna said, bitter mirth in her voice. "If it were true."

Navi interrupted from overhead. "But Midna, aren't you- Ah!"

She snatched the fairy from the air. "You had best keep quiet, Navi. The ghosts of the low kingdom don't take well to noisy intruders."

The narrow passageway opened up onto a wide cavern. A torrent of water rushed past beneath them, dark and deep. Somewhere downstream the familiar rumble of a waterfall could be heard.

"The bridge might not hold all of us at once," Gorko was saying. "So head across one at a time, to be sure. I'll go first."

The bridge in question was made of stone panels, and held together with heavy chains that were driven into the walls on each side. At the far side, the dark opening to another cave waited.

Gorko went first across the bridge, followed by Ganondorf. Once the two heaviest members of their group were across, Midna and Link followed.

"Where do you think all this water goes?" Grasping the chains, she leaned over the side of the bridge to peer down into the roiling waters below. "Think about it. All the runoff from the city above- it has to end up somewhere."

"Maybe the whole undercity is flooded," Link said. "That would be quite an end to our adventure, wouldn't it? Foiled by water?"

Ganondorf had overheard them as they approached the stone outcropping where he and Gorko were waiting. "No. She would want to make sure that she could recover her reliquary if need be. I don't know what we'll find down there, but it won't be flooded, you can count on that."

"Man, you guys are talking about some deep stuff, way over my head." Gorko said. "No pun intended. Come on, we're almost there."

They wove their way through an increasingly narrow and cramped network of passageways bored into the stone, the rock now constantly damp beneath their feet. In some places, water flowed ankle deep along the tunnels, carrying the harsh smells of sulfur and ozone with it.

"Don't drink that stuff," Gorko advised. "We run it through our furnaces to cool them. You probably shouldn't even be putting your feet in there."

"Appreciate the tip," Midna said, shaking out a waterlogged boot.

It was after a few hours of travelling through the fringes of the mines that they finally arrived at their destination: the gateway into the low kingdom.

The passageway suddenly widened into a great hall, the roughly hewn walls giving way to smooth walls of dark, black stone. Thick pillars of the same material formed two rows at the center of the atrium. Every surface made of the black stone- the pillars, the walls, the floor- had strange runes carved into them, which glowed with a faint orange light.

"This is the Moon Gate, one of many gateways into the Twili kingdom," Midna ran her hands over the symbols. "These runes are part of a spell to keep out intruders."

"How does it work?" Navi asked

"Well, if the spell detects an intruder, then the gate doesn't open," Midna said. "Pretty simple." At the far end of the hall was a thick rectangular slab made out of the same stone. The symbols on the gate itself formed complex patterns within concentric circles, constituting a powerful binding spell.

"So can you break the spell?"

"No need," Midna said. "Ganondorf can just break the door."

Ganondorf strolled to calmly up to the doorway and laid his hands on it. The circles lit up briefly, before fading back to their dormant state once more. "It would be a shame to destroy such a work of art as this. Especially when that destruction is without purpose. Open the gate, Midna."

She sighed, raised her hand lazily, and snapped her fingers.

Immediately, the entire room was ablaze with the light of magic. The runes on every surface blazed with an unnatural brightness, shining all the more against the black stone.

"Wow!" Gorko shouted, clapping his hands. "You guys do not kid around! This is amazing!"

Ganondorf stepped back hastily from the doorway, as the circles drawn there began to rotate and interlock as the barrier spell undid itself. With a final rush of light and energy, the Moon Gate split right down the middle, sliding open and revealing a dark passageway behind it.

Although the light had faded a bit, the runes continued to glow and hum all around them, like bizarre constellations in a sky made out of stone. Link laid his hand against one of the pillars and closed his eyes. He could feel the magic in the room, almost like he could reach out and grasp it.

Gorko peered down into the newly opened passage. It was a staircase, made out of the same black stone, leading down, further into the city's depths.

"This is where I leave you, my friends." He said. "I must say, I kind of like you guys. I will watch the sky like you said, Ganondorf, and if you succeed in your crazy adventure, I will be there alongside you and the rest of Hyrule."

"Thank you, Gorko," Ganondorf grinned and clapped the Goron on the back. "It has been a pleasure."

"Yeah. I'd say 'see you later,' but... you know." Midna brushed past them and started down the staircase. Within a few minutes she had vanished into the darkness.

Ganondorf and Link followed her, with Navi bobbing alongside them. Link turned and looked back- Gorko was still standing at the top of the stairs, one arm raised in farewell.

"Goodbye, bud."

Link turned and followed the other two, taking his first steps down into the dead kingdom of the Twili.

* * *

I liked Gorko the friendly Goron so much in _Skyward Sword_ that I just had to put him in.

As this story draws closer to its climax, a lot of the individual character arcs are also going to draw towards their conclusion, and we'll see many prominent characters forced to make very personal and emotional decisions. One of the purposes of writing this story was exploring how characters attitudes and actions could change given a different set of circumstances, and how people that we know as heroes and villains could switch places given the right motivations. The biggest challenge in writing _Sacred Reliquary_ was having the characters behave in drastically different ways but still remain true to their canon selves. This journey beneath the city is a journey for the reader into the true selves of Ganondorf, Midna, and Link.

One last note: I started a Twitter, booksin1tweet, where every week or so I will post a 140-character impression of a book that I've read recently. If you have Twitter yourself and you'd like to help me out and further validate my asinine opinions, please give it a follow. Who knows? If I get enough followers I just might release chapters a little bit faster.*

* No I won't.


	26. Chapter 26

In this chapter, I couldn't resist borrowing a particular turn of phrase from one of my favorite Zelda fanfictions. I wonder if anybody will spot it?

* * *

26

A Conclave at Night-Time. The Darkness Without. The Darkness Within.

* * *

Vaati glanced up at the sky as he climbed the white stone steps. The air was unnaturally still and the blackness of night was complete, devoid of either moon or stars. The presence of magic was heavy, like a rich, cloying scent that sent his head spinning.

He brushed past the guards and stepped into the Chambers of Insight- a majestic white temple in the heart of the Skyview District, normally a place of healing and meditation. On this long night, however, it had been transformed into an erstwhile headquarters for the upper echelons of Zelda's command.

Familiar faces loomed out of the shadows of the unlit atrium. Veran's eyes followed him warily as he passed her, and Viscen and Rusl broke of their quiet conversation as he entered. Zant's helmet inclined, ever so slightly, in acknowledgement.

Vaati ignored them all. He sank to one knee and bowed his head.

"What news do you bring, wind mage?"

The Princess Zelda meditated cross-legged in the centre of the room, in the middle of a circle of golden light. She was dressed in full battle armour, the polished silver of her breastplate reflecting the magic's luminescence, and a royal blue cape framing her slender form.

Vaati's eyes took all of this in, but in truth he barely registered it. The eyes of himself and everyone else in the room were drawn to the dark cloud that literally hung over Zelda's head.

It was like someone had spilled a pot of ink- and the ink had simply hung in the air. It bubbled and shifted eerily, swirling mere centimetres from the Princesses' head and buffeting about strands of her hair.

He couldn't help himself. He had to ask. "...Is that... the Nameless?"

"Yes," she said. Suddenly, horribly sharp teeth appeared in the morass above her, followed by an unnerving amount of shining yellow eyes. Just as quickly, the monstrous visage disappeared as the features sank back into the beast's shadowy form. "It will not harm any of you as long as you are with me."

Vaati put thoughts of the monster out of his mind and cleared his throat. "Your Highness, with the men given to my command, I conducted a thorough search of the Western districts of Hyrule. We found evidence that the three Gerudo ringleaders took shelter in a tavern near the stables by the West gate, but we were unable to determine where they went from there."

"I know where they are," Zelda said. She had not opened her eyes since he had entered the temple, and there was an expression on her face that he had never seen before. Zelda was worried about something.

"Then tell us, your Highness!" Zant exclaimed. "_She_ is with them. Tell us so that we may hunt them down and tear the breath and the blood from their bodies!"

"I cannot track them with magic," She said. "Not when the whole city burns with the power of the Triforce. But reason dictates that they have journeyed beneath Hyrule. It seems that they have found the way to break my spell."

Vaati glanced at Viscen. The old soldier's face was unreadable. "What would you have us do?"

"To search the darkest depths of my city would be impossible. No, I will have to rely on the precautions that I took a long time ago."

These next words she whispered so faintly that Vaati could barely hear them. They were not meant for his ears, he knew.

"_Fly now. Fulfill your purpose. Become the darkness within their hearts._"

The black mass over Zelda's head suddenly moved with terrifying speed. It sank to the ground and pooled in front of her, and then just as quickly rose up as a great hulking thing with large, powerful legs.

The Nameless charged out of the Chambers of Insight, bounding past the startled guards and down the stairs outside before vanishing into the nighttime streets.

"The Twilight Princess is with them," Zelda said. "The Nameless will find her, no matter where she hides within the city."

There was a sudden, sinking feeling in the pit of Vaati's stomach. He was beginning to very much regret his clandestine meeting with Link, and cursed himself for ever thinking that the few survivors of the Gerudo could ever hope to match the omniscience of Princess Zelda. All he could do now was pray that his treason would not be discovered.

Link, Midna, and Ganondorf were as good as dead.

* * *

The silence of the cavern, only occasionally broken by the sound of stone being shifted aside and scattered grunts of effort, was suddenly shattered by Navi's panicked voice.

"Hey! Guys!"

Link rolled another heavy slab of rock to the side. "What is it, Navi?"

"You should find another way down. You won't be able to clear all this rock in time!"

For the third time since they'd descended into the remnants of the Twili kingdom, their way had been blocked by a cave-in. The underground civilization was a network of great caverns connected by narrow passageways, filled with ruined temples and austere architecture the had been carved out of the now-familiar smooth, black stone.

"Why?" Link grunted as he continued to work at unblocking out the passageway. "What's the hurry?"

The fairy was zipping back and forth agitatedly. "Something really, really bad is headed this way. I can feel it."

Midna had stopped digging, and had her head cocked to the side, like she was listening to some far-off sound. "It's coming. The Nameless."

"You can tell?"

Navi nodded. "Yep!"

Midna seemed less enthused. "Something that powerful radiates magic. It's coming, and it's moving fast."

Link cursed and looked to Ganondorf. "What do you think? Keep digging, or run?"

The ceiling of the cavern they were in was supported with gigantic black pillars that stretched up into the gloom. At some point after centuries of neglect, one of these had collapsed, splintering against the wall and burying the passage downwards in rubble.

Ganondorf rubbed dust out of his hair. "It will take at least another half-hour to move enough of the rock to get through. Midna, what are our options?"

She furrowed her brow and rubbed her eyes. "There's another way down," Midna said. "It's... let's see... the tunnel at the south end of this cavern. Or..."

"Or what?" Ganondorf asked.

She offered a hesitant shrug. "I could... stop it?"

Both Link and Ganondorf paused in their excavation. Midna refused to meet their stares, looking off into the murky distance of the cave instead.

"You'll be killed!" Navi gasped.

"You know something about that creature," Link said. "That was what you wanted to talk about yesterday, wasn't it?"

She nodded and held up a hand for silence. Midna closed her eyes and concentrated, then said, "It's still a ways off. But moving fast. I might be able to... do something. I think."

"You think?" Ganondorf repeated. "If you have a plan, explain it. We don't have time to stand around while you meander slowly to the topic at hand."

Ganondorf's harsh words seemed to spark a bit of the antagonistic spirit within her, and for a moment Midna was like her old impish self again. "Fine, then! I can control the monster! I can... speak to it."

"How is that possible?" Link asked.

Midna's expression returned to one of uncertainty. "I... think I recognize the magic the holds the Nameless together. It was- is- something created by Zant using his power, and Zelda's. It's shadow magic, of a sort, and that's Twili magic, I think that if I can get close enough I could try to-"

Ganondorf cut her off. "Absolutely not. I'm not going to let you throw your life away on a hunch."

"It's more than a hunch," she said. "And if I'm right, then it's the best chance we have."

Link and Ganondorf exchanged glances.

"There's... I don't know how to explain it. A connection. Between me and the monster. There always has been." She bit her lip. Midna looked absolutely miserable. "I can buy you time. I'll explain everything later, I swear."

"Alright," Link said. "If you're sure you can stop that monster somehow, than I trust you. But no more excuses. The next time we have the chance, we're going to have a talk and you're going to explain everything. Okay?"

With reluctance, she nodded. "Listen, at the very bottom of the Twili kingdom is the royal palace. There's a place there, the Sol Sanctum, where the Nameless cannot enter. You'll know it when you see it. Wait there for me, OK?"

"Good luck," Ganondorf said, returning to his digging.

"Don't die, Midna!" Navi zipped forward to give Midna's arm a hug.

Link debated over whether to offer similar sentiments, but caught a glimpse of the conflicted emotions in her eyes. "I'll see you at that Sanctum," he said. "And then we can have that conversation. It'll be fine, I promise."

She smiled devilishly. "One of these days, you're going to make a promise you can't keep."

"But I will keep this one."

She waved and jogged back towards the the opposite end of the cavern, the way they had come. Within a few moments, even her fiery red hair had faded into he darkness. He watched her go, and then turned back to the pile of rubble.

"Well?" Ganondorf said, putting his shoulder into a particularly heavy slab.

Link stepped forward to lend his own strength. The chunk of stone rolled aside with a heavy grinding crash. "Well? 'Well' what?"

"What do you think? About that story of hers?"

"She's definitely been hiding things from us. For a long time, too." Link said. "Whatever it is, it certainly seems to be a very emotional issue for her."

They continued to work at clearing the passageway. The strength afforded to them by the Triforce meant that the work proceeded faster than normal, but there still was a massive amount of shattered masonry to be shifted.

"Link," Ganondorf spoke, after a few minutes. "Leave me here. Take the passageway she mentioned, at the south end of the cavern, and find another way to the palace."

"You don't trust Midna, do you?"

"No," Ganondorf said. "Do you?"

"I trust her a hell of a lot more than I trust you."

Ganondorf laughed at this, a dry chuckle. "I can't say I blame you. But as for Midna... 'Trust' is not the best word for it. I can't predict what she might do. She is irrational. Too suspect to impulses and rash ideas."

"Do you trust me?"

Ganondorf laughed quietly. "I tend to be confident that I know what you will do. Let's leave it at that."

Link picked up his haversack full of supplied from where he had left it. "She would die for you. She almost did, on top of that mountain."

"I know," he said calmly. "And that is irrational."

"I've always been curious," Link checked his bearings on the golden compass. It was getting to become a habit. "Don't you have something you would die for? Did you ever?"

This thought actually gave Ganondorf pause. He stepped away from the pile of stone and looked down at the insignia emblazoned on the back of his hand. "I used to loathe the very concept of death. I feared it, so much that I chose to exist in the endless agony of the Sacred Realm rather than face oblivion. But now... Now, I am old, and tired."

Link had been seeing the sad look in Ganondorf's eyes more and more lately, it seemed.

"If I was given the chance to right all the wrongs I have done..." He smiled faintly. "I think I would take it. No matter the price."

There was something unsettling in seeing such a powerful man look so melancholic. "I'd better hurry up and get moving," Link said, taking his first few steps southward. "Good luck, Ganondorf."

"Good luck," Ganondorf repeated to him the same words he'd said to Midna.

The distinctive green of Link's tunic disappeared also into that darkness, and before long, the sound of his footsteps had faded away too. Ganondorf sighed and wrapped his arms around another heavy slab. The triangle on his fist glowed, power surged through him, and he lifted the rock aside with a slight grunt of effort.

"Shouldn't you have gone with one of them?" He said after he had set the rock aside.

"I don't know," Navi mused. "Was I supposed to?"

"It makes no difference in the end."

"I'll stay with you then!" The fairy cheerfully alighted atop the pile of rubble. "You look like you need a friend right now."

"... I suppose you're right."

He bent his knees again and went back to work.

* * *

It had been a very, very long time since the Twilight Princess had walked among the remains of her kingdom.

Midna hated this place. The empty temples and homes of the Twili people were now nothing more than crumbling ruins, and caverns that had once glowed bright with the light of magic were now dark and quiet. Everywhere she looked, there was a reminder of her failure, of her hideous betrayal.

She came to what had once been an underground plaza, not unlike the Market District in the city above. Midna set down her pack of supplies and tugged off her cloak. She would face the creature here.

Unsheathing her sword, she gave the blade a few tentative swings before reluctantly admitting to herself that she had no clue what she was doing. She tossed the sword aside with the rest of her possessions.

Closing her eyes, Midna dipped her mind into the shadows. It was close by now. She could feel the hatred and fear of it, radiating like the blackness of an infected wound. While she did have a connection with the Nameless, the truth was that her link to the monster ran much deeper than either Ganondorf or Link suspected.

She regretted lying to them, but they would have to learn the whole story soon. Here, in the remains of her kingdom, she could no longer hide from what she had done.

Her eyes opened.

The creature was right in front of her- darkness made solid.

She reached out to touch it, feeling the powerful magic, strong enough to hold together thousands of souls in eternal torment. Howls of pain echoed through the corners of her mind.

This monster was the result of what was possibly the darkest magic ever devised, created by Zant's twisted mind and given life through Zelda's uncompromising will. The incredible trauma of using such powerful magic changed a person forever- the Nameless was bound to its creators, linking them closer together than blood ever could.

All three of them.

The horror recognized its master and bowed its shadowy head. Midna plunged her hands now into its body and drew upon the immense power there, feeling the familiar strength flow back into her slender form. Zelda had robbed her of her magic that night in Hyrule castle but here, now, with the full power of the shadows tat her disposal, Midna could once again regain what she had lost. She be strong again, and-

Something was wrong.

_What has she done?_ Midna had time to think, before the spell turned upon her and she was overwhelmed.

Midna did not scream or cry out in the slightest. It happened so quickly that she never had the chance. She simply collapsed silently to the ground as a dark magic greater than anything she had ever known clutched at her heart and overtook her consciousness.

* * *

"There! Now we can get through!"

Navi pirouetted in delight as Ganondorf shoved the final boulder aside, at last opening the way forward. He brushed the dust out of his hair and beard and allowed himself a sip of water from his canteen.

"No," Ganondorf said. "I don't want to be caught in a narrow corridor. Here is much better- much more room to maneuver."

"What are you talking about?" Navi asked, but her voice raised an octave as soon as she sensed what he already had. "Oh! Oh no, Midna couldn't stop it!"

"No," Ganondorf said again, and left it at that. He drew his greatsword made out of light. The weapon shone with the enchantment that he had put on it so many years ago, in anticipation of this very moment.

"Y-you're going to try and kill it?" Navi asked fearfully.

"I'm going to try and buy Link some time. Fly now, find him and tell him what has happened."

"I-I'm staying with you!" she shouted decisively.

His eyes scanned the dark expanse of the cavern, searching for any sign of movement. The fact that he could sense it so keenly meant it was close by. "Go, Navi. Leave me to deal with this."

"I can't!"

His armour clicked quietly with his movements, underneath his cloak. The heavy sound of his bootsteps echoed all around him. "Why not?"

"I can't leave you here. Alone."

For some strange reason he found himself oddly touched. Ganondorf did his best to reassure the tiny fairy. "I don't plan on dying here. But Zelda's spell has to be broken at any cost. Link must know what's happened."

Still, she hesitated. "I, oh, but..."

The sudden sound, although quiet, cut through the heavy silence of the cavern. It was the sound of heavy, unnatural, footsteps and the hiss of some slick thing sliding against stone. The Nameless had come.

"Go! Go now!" He shouted, and then he had no time to look and see if she had obeyed him, because the beast charged.

The form it had taken was gigantic, towering over him, and it barrelled towards him on four thick legs. He rolled to the side and came up throwing lightning at the Nameless, but the spell barely seemed to affect it, crackling uselessly against its shadowy hide.

It charged again and this time he couldn't dodge it completely. The massive bulk of the creature tossed him violently into the ground, the impact tearing the breath from his lungs in a pained grunt.

He vaulted to his feet and spun around, raising his sword for an overhead slash, but was greeted by the sight of the dark, empty cavern.

The shadows were still, once again devoid of any signs of life save the decaying remains of the Twili civilization.

"Damn," he growled, lowering the glowing blade in front of him and preparing to drive it upwards into the monstrosity's body if it charged him again.

Desperately, he listened. The slightest sound had him on edge, as he strained to listen for any sign of the creature over the noise of his own breathing, and the loose masonry crumbling beneath his greaves.

Tentatively, Ganondorf relaxed his body. The scope of his thoughts narrowed to a singular purpose as he concentrated entirely on what was about to happen.

This time, when the beast charged, he was able to set his feet and throw all of his strength into a counter-strike, expertly deflecting the huge creature's bulk. He lunged forward and slashed down at it while it was off-balance, and this time the edge of the greatsword bit into the Nameless' shadowy form.

The blade sank deeply into its slick hide, and the creature screeched in pain and rage. The Nameless reared back, standing on two legs, and swatted at him with a hand the size of a carriage wheel.

Ganondorf once again managed to throw himself out of the way. He landed on his feet and held his sword out in front of him, and for the first time he got a good look at the form that the monster had taken.

"No..." he whispered, disbelieving.

The Nameless was now a towering monstrosity, steeped in fearful armour and wielding a shadowy trident, a great dark cape fluttering behind it. Ganondorf stared up into a savage, boar-like face devoid of any thoughts except those of hatred.

In a particularly cruel twist of fate, the wound he had inflicted upon the beast was the same one he had borne, millennia ago and in another lifetime: A deep gash along the stomach, bleeding drops of blood as black as pitch mixed with the liquid light of the sword's magic.

To behold the beast tore at his heart. He was staring up at himself, at what he used to be.

The Nameless had taken the shape of the dark beast Ganon.

* * *

Link took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. It was stained with dirt and drenched in sweat.

This close to the Goron mines, many of the Twili kingdom's tunnels were still uncomfortably hot, and in some places he had had to double back when he'd encountered pools of molten slag or chambers flooded with polluted water flowing down from the mines above.

He came to another staircase leading down. It had been hours since he'd parted ways with Ganondorf and Midna, and he'd lost count of how many staircases he'd descended. Link figured that he must be some miles underneath the populated part of the city by now- he didn't like thinking about just how far down the caverns beneath Hyrule might go.

"Link! Hey!"

He stopped and turned. The long hours spent in the darkness must be playing tricks on him. He could have sworn he'd just heard a familiar voice calling his name, very faintly.

"... Hello?" He said, cautiously.

When there was no response, he shrugged and continued down the stairs.

"Link!"

This time when he turned, a tiny and overly enthusiastic ball of light collided with his face, startling him into taking a step backwards.

"Aagh!"

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Navi apologized, when he had finished falling the rest of the way down the stairs.

He groaned and rolled over. "You need to stop startling people."

"I'm sorry! I really really am!"

"It's fine, it's fine. Just some bruises." He stood up and sifted briefly through his supplies to see if anything was broken. "Weren't you staying with Ganondorf? What are you doing down here?"

His words seemed to jostle her memory, and she almost fell out of the air. "Oh no!"

Link's ears rang. "What? What is it? Don't yell."

She disregarded this advice. "The Nameless! It got past Midna and now Ganondorf is fighting it! He told me to find you because now you need to hurry!"

He drew in a long breath through his teeth. "That's... really bad," he said.

"Yeah, I know!"

He squinted ahead, down the tunnel. The air was thick with moisture, and sound of running water was echoing from somewhere further ahead.

"Damn it. More runoff from the city- this passage could be flooded up ahead." He bit his lip and thought for a moment.

"Should we turn around and go another way?"

"No," he decided. "Regardless of whether Ganondorf can handle that monster or not, I want as much distance between me and it as possible. It'll take too long to double back."

And with that, there was no reason to stand around any more. He took off at a light jog, his bootheels ringing loudly against the damp stone as he ventured deeper yet.

Navi rode along silently in one of the pockets on his tunic. Save for the noise of his footsteps and his own breathing, the only sound was the constant dripping of water, and the luminescence of the fairy was the only light.

On a few occasions he thought he heard another set of footsteps behind him, just a split second out of pace with his own. When his paranoia got the best of him and he finally whirled around, however, there was nothing but shadows there.

This was far from reassuring.

"What is it?" Navi asked.

"I thought I heard..." he trailed off. "Nevermind."

But once he resumed his pace, the noise returned, always just at the edge of his hearing.

He came to several places where the tunnels intersected, or where they gave way to wide caverns, and yet he never seemed to take a wrong turn. He wondered if he was going around in circles, but the tunnels always seemed to be sloping downwards ever so slightly, so Link figured that he must be making progress.

It was after he'd been jogging through the darkness for hours, at the end of a particularly long and winding passageway, that he saw it.

Light.

He rubbed his eyes, but it was no hallucination: the light remained there, just ahead. "Navi? Do you see what I see?"

"It looks like... daylight? Right?"

"Yeah..." he agreed, taking a few tentative steps towards the source of that brightness. "But that's... impossible. We must be miles under the city. There's no way that daylight could reach this far down. And even if it could, what about Zelda's enchantment?"

"It must be something magical," Navi said. "You should be careful!"

He glanced behind him. The Nameless was lurking somewhere in that darkness, he knew.

"Could this be that sanctum Midna was talking about?" He wondered aloud. "A safe place?"

He reached the end of the tunnel and looked back. His only choices were to continue forward, or to turn around and venture back into the darkness, where that monster was waiting for him.

Link stepped into the light and, once his eyes adjusted to the brightness and he registered what he was seeing, he realized several things at once.

The first realization was that this was not, in fact, the Sol Sanctum that Midna had mentioned. This was not a safe place. It was far from it.

The second realization was that he had been here before. Not in this life, but another.

And the third realization was that he finally knew exactly what the Nameless was.

It was like he had stepped onto the surface of an endless pool, calm and pristine. The glassy smoothness of the water reflected only the cloudy, grey sky and seemed to be without bottom. His boots made only the slightest of ripples as he moved.

Directly ahead of him, a single tree jutted up out of the flawless mirror that was the water's surface. It was blackened and dead, a withered tangle of branches clawing at the grim clouds above.

Link slowly stepped across the expanse of water and touched the trunk of the tree, to make sure it was really there. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned around.

Navi gasped in horror.

The passage he'd entered through was gone. In its place was a man made of darkness.

And although the man seemed to be comprised of nothing but shadow made solid, it was still possible to make out a very familiar set of features. Link stared into an angular, handsome face, with glowing, solemn eyes and an untidy head of hair half-hidden by a floppy cap. The interloper was garbed in a light tunic over a coat of mail, and as he settled into a combat stance he eased a replica of the Master Sword the colour of pitch out of its scabbard.

"Is that... the Nameless?" Navi whispered.

"Yes," Link said, drawing his own blade and beginning to circle his foe. "This is what it's really been, all this time."

The dark Link opened its mouth, exposing an unnatural number of pointed, perfectly white teeth. The smile slowly widened and widened, gradually exposing more and more rows of that uneven fangs within that hideous maw, until its jaw was dislocated far beyond any natural proportions. The bottom half of its face had been replaced by something slavering and bestial.

The Nameless screeched a wordless challenge with a distorted version of Link's own vocal chords.

Link answered with silence, stepping forward and lowering his blade. He surged forward, sending droplets of water sparkling in all directions as he met the black sword of his doppelganger, and the battle was joined.

* * *

I'm expecting more than a few anguished messages about where I chose to leave this one.

Many people speculated in what the Nameless actually was, and whetehr or not I had made it up or taken something from one of the games. The most frequent guess that I read in reviews were that it was sme version of the Twili monsters from Twilight Princess. I don't think anybody actually guessed that it was Dark Link.

I think that the reason for that is that it's become popular in fan works to portray Dark Link as a character all his own, most often as a more antagonistic, villainous version of Link. What particularly confuses me is how a lot of writers seem to think Dark Link is a plausible love interest. When I originally thought of this story, I wanted to portray Dark Link at its most basic form: something utterly horrific and completely bent on murder. I expanded the concept to more than just an evil Link and into the Nameless, which is the physical incarnation of all the fear, hatred, despair and wrath of the people of Hyrule.


	27. Chapter 27

27

The Man He Used to Be. A Very Familiar Foe. Light in the Darkness.

* * *

So this is what he had once been.

In the many years since Ganondorf had regained the memories of his past lives, he had spent many sleepless nights reliving the horrors he had wrought over and over again in his head, seeing the hatred and the terror in the eyes of his victims.

Was this what they had seen, in the end? Had they stared up into that same inhuman visage, searching in vain for any trace of mercy there?  
The phantom Ganon strode towards him with calm purpose, shattering stone with each mighty swing of its dark trident.

Ganondorf, the man, continued to backstep, staying just out of reach of the powerful strokes, waiting and watching.

He was not a man who was familiar with fear. Once, long ago, he had feared death, and over many lifetimes he had come to fear a stern-eyed hero in a familiar green tunic, but both of those had been rational, tolerable fears. He had been able to use them, to motivate himself and to work around them.

Not like this. This was the first time in Ganondorf's long, long memory that he had experienced anything close to absolute terror.

This twisted version of his past self was a creature of pure, brute, force, and Ganondorf knew from experience that it would take but one blow for it to crumple his breastplate and shatter his ribcage. If he was lucky he might survive the first strike and live long enough to see himself impaled on the trident's menacing tines. The might contained within those arms and legs was more than enough to crush his skull, and the black tusks and teeth were more than sharp enough to shred him limb from limb.

Ganondorf had spent centuries in this city running from the Nameless, and running from his own past. Now, with both of them combined in the worst way possible, his every instinct was screaming at him to turn and flee.

So he continued to bide his time, and wait. Many lifetimes filled with warfare had taught him discipline and patience, above all else.

The beast roared, and lunged with speed that would have surprised any other combatant. As it was, Ganondorf deflected the trident aside with a well-timed parry before leaping back once more, safely out of reach.

Patience was the key. He must contain himself. He must discard his emotions, and become entirely separate from the monster that he now faced. This beast was everything evil inside of him, and only by proving that he had overcome that evil could he hope to win.

How very like her to do this. If there was one thing Zelda could do well, it was exploit the emotions of others.

"Not this time," he said, to the creature, to himself, and to the absent princess. He stepped forward now, sensing an opening, and slashed at the phantom's mighty legs. It screeched in pain, swiping at him in retaliation and missing.

"Not this time," he repeated. Blood and sweat stained the red of his hair. Was the blood his own, or the monster's?

Ganondorf continued to remain just barely out of reach, taking advantage of the openings that presented themselves to leap inwards, strike a hasty blow, and retreat quickly.

He was surprised to realize something: he felt good. The overwhelming sense of conviction that had motivated him so long ago, when he was a young man and not yet a king, had returned. The magic of the Triforce flowed through him, and his body felt light and agile.

The phantom swung again, the heavy trident once more shattering stone as it narrowly missed him. Again, Ganondorf stepped forward and struck a single, well-placed blow before leaping back out of range.

He met the beast's eyes, and saw the malevolence lurking there. The hatred and rage that had driven him once, long ago. But those emotions were gone, now, and had been replaced with the cold fury of absolute conviction.

This time, he didn't bother to sidestep. With a shout the echoed throughout the cavern he caught the trident on his own blade, his very bones rattling with the sheer force of the impact. His knees threatened to buckle, and he felt his feet sliding backwards on the dusty stone.

The phantom Ganon grunted and leaned forward, putting more and more of its bodyweight on top of him, slowly forcing the locked weapons closer and closer to Ganondorf's face.

And still, he stared straight into those eyes. Sweat stung his own, forcing them shut. His wrists bent further backwards. "...no..."

He could feel his greatsword pressing against his face. The blade made of light was not cold, but instead burned with agonizing heat as it sliced into his cheek.

The beast roared, shoving him to the ground and raising the trident high for one final blow.

"NO!"

The brute's mighty arm came down, the deadly tines whistling through the air towards him.

Ganondorf reached out and caught the middle prong, mere centimetres before it plunged into his chest. The beast pressed down harder, but this time the weapon did not budge. Ganondorf's hand, fingers wrapped tightly around the weapon, glowed with a blinding golden light.

And at last, for the first time, he felt it truly surging through him. Power. Like he had never known before.

The trident dissolved into nothingness in his grasp, suddenly no more substantial than smoke. Ganondorf stood and drew back the greatsword.

"I am not that man any longer! I AM NOT HIM!"

He drove the blade deep into the heart of the monster that he had once been. Ganon screamed in agony, a piggish, bestial cry that soon gave way to Ganondorf's own voice. He heard himself bellowing his anger and pain at the world, and he heard all of the malice that had once been present inside him contained within that noise.

And then it was gone, vanishing like so much smoke.

The glow of the Triforce faded, and Ganondorf sank to his knees, exhausted and breathing hard. Now, alone in the quiet darkness of the cavern, the visions of what he had once been came to him.

He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. "I am not him. Not anymore. Not anymore."

But he was lying to himself. Ganondorf would always carry the burden of his past lives, and knew that he would spend the rest of this one trying to make up for it.

That was why he had to stop Zelda. She was walking down that same path, and for the sake of the friend she had once been, he had to help her.

Slowly, painfully, he stood. There would be time for rest, but that time was not now.

* * *

How long had they been fighting? Two hours? Three?

It was to be expected. They were as evenly matched as it was possible to get.

The water swirled around Link's boots as he slowly circled his double, the Master Sword raised in front of him. His tunic was torn in many places where the dark Link's blows had landed, beneath that his chainmail was scored deeply, and he bled from those cuts which had managed to find their way through to flesh.

Navi hovered nervously overhead, watching in anxious silence. The only other sounds were the gentle stirring of the ankle-deep water, and Link's own measured breathing. The Nameless had so far fought in complete, unnerving silence.

It was Link who moved this time, very gently sliding forward beneath the shallow water even as his hands moved with deceptive speed, so that the noise of the water did not betray the ferocity of his strike.

The sword met its mirror image with an eerie silence; Link's two-handed swing stopped dead and he felt the jarring shock of contact and the familiar ringing all the way up his arm, but there was no noise whatsoever to mark the meeting of the two blades.

He swung again, twice, and blocked the expected counterattack, all with the same disturbing absence of sound.

"Haahh!"

His wordless exhortation of effort shattered that quiet as he stepped forward, putting himself inside of the dark Link's reach, and drove the point of the sword home in a killing blow through the heart. Or at least he would have, had the creature not pushed away from Link and escaped the manoeuvre with barely a scratch.

But still. A scratch.

Link again parried the retaliatory swing, and had a thrust of his own deflected harmlessly aside, and then the two combatants parted, splashing backwards through the shallows and circling each other once more.

It wouldn't take much, he knew. With every swing of the sword, every step they took through the water, with every tired breath, they both grew closer and closer to making that one, fatal mistake.

Oftentimes before, or even during, a fight, Link was nervous. Afraid. There was no shame in admitting it. His very life was at stake, and he was always keenly aware that at any given moment he could commit the error that would cost him his life.

He didn't know whether it was the Triforce of Courage or something within himself that allowed him to continue through these hardships, and Link supposed that he didn't really care. In the end, he somehow always found a way to continue, and that was all that mattered.

But this fight was different. This opponent was unlike any other.

Link watched the Nameless carefully, slowly lowering the point of his blade until it touched the surface of the water. The stance left him deceptively open, allowing him to counterstrike with dangerous speed.

This was a battle in which he had total control. The dark Link was a version of himself made up of all the fear and malice that dwelt within his heart, emotions which no longer held any sway over him. He had fought this fight a thousand times within himself, and he had won out every time.

It wound happen soon.

The dark Link lunged, and he brought the Master Sword upwards in a two-handed slash that missed severing the apparition's arm. This time, the wound left by his blade was no mere scratch, but a deep cut high on the shoulder.

They parted once more.

With a methodical calmness, Link continued to pace opposite his foe. They came together, and apart again, the black replica of the Master Sword gouging Link's leg even as he landed a glancing blow of his own.

Not much time left now. Like a pair of draughts players who had entered endgame, Link and the dark Link could only continue to play out the inevitable conclusion.

A thrust here, a parry there. The water frothed around their legs, it and Link's breathing the only sounds in all of existence. Everything else: Navi, the mute sky, the dead tree, the city above and the magic below, was silent.

Link stumbled in the shallow water. In an instant the Nameless was on top of him, sword arcing downwards in a killing blow.

But the stumble was a feint, and the strike that was meant to kill him was an opening. He caught it soundlessly on the haft of his blade and turned the black sword aside harmlessly. Stepping in towards his double Link thrust the Master Sword upwards, decisively.

Noise returned to the world. The sound of a million tiny drops of water, descending all around them from Hyrule above. The sound of Navi's wings, and of her gasp of shock. The low, almost imperceptible hum all around them: the sound of the powerful enchantment and its source, somewhere close by.

And the sound of Link's voice, gasping in shock and pain.

The shadow broke its silence as the Master Sword pierced its ribcage and drove through its heart. Link heard his own voice gurgle in the throes of death before the weight on his blade was suddenly lifted, and the dark Link dissolved into smoke.

Just like that, it was over, and the illusion was broken. He was no longer standing on a glassy surface of infinite water, but was merely knee-deep in murky runoff, at the centre of yet another dark cavern.

"What... what was that?" Navi asked, her voice hushed for once.

"An apparition from another life," Link answered. "A nightmare, that followed me into this one."

"It looked just like you! I never saw a fight like that before!"

He laughed and scooped up some of the cool water to wipe the blood and sweat from his face. "Another life..." he repeated. "Come on, let's find our way to this sanctuary Midna told us about. We must be getting close now."

He made up his mind to follow the water. Almost every single passageway was submerged knee-deep now, the murky liquid flowing swiftly towards some unseen destination deep underground. Following the current took him ever downwards, and kept him from stumbling into dead ends.

And, like Midna had told him, he knew it when he saw it.

The Sol Sanctum was a looming ziggurat that filled the vast cavern, rising up out of the rushing waters around it. It was hewn from the same black stone that the entire Twili kingdom was made out of, but unlike the rest of the kingdom, the sanctum bore no visible damage. It looked as if had been constructed yesterday.

Link climbed the steps of the pyramid. A brilliant light spilled forth from the entrance to the sanctum, but incredibly, this was not the light of flame or of magic.

It was sunlight. "I don't believe it," he said. "Is this another illusion?"

"I don't think so," Navi answered. "Remember what Midna said? The Nameless can't enter this place. And what is the Nameless' weakness?"

"Sunlight." As he stepped through the archway and entered the Sol Sanctum, he saw that the interior of the pyramid was just one giant room, illuminated by one single light source. A great glass orb hovered in the centre of the room, so wide that it would take at least five of Link to wrap their arms all the way around the thing.

The orb contained something very small, however: A tiny sphere suspended inside the glass bubble, seemingly made out of pure light. It was no bigger than the head of a pin, and yet its light was powerful enough to fill the entire pyramid as if with daylight.

"It's like..." Navi began

"A piece of the sun," Link echoed her thoughts. Sure enough, the light cast by the tiny radiant sphere had the same familiar heat as sunbeams did. It was comforting, a warm light down here in the cold darkness.

The fatigue of the journey and his duel with the Nameless was catching up to him. It felt like an eternity since Gorko had led them out of the Goron City and into this subterranean labyrinth, and since no light from above filtered down this far below Hyrule, there was no way of telling how long he had been down here. It could have been days, by now.

He tugged his tunic over his head and wadded it up into a ball. "Hey... Navi?"

"What is it, Link?"

"Keep an eye out for Ganondorf and Midna. I need to rest."

"Are you alright?"

He waved the concerned fairy away. "I'm fine. I just need sleep... for a few hours. Keep watch."

"I'll wake you the moment I see something!"

Nodding, he lay down in the corner of the pyramid's central chamber and tucked his rolled-up tunic under his head, closing his eyes. He had just begun to drift off when a sudden though occurred to him.

"Navi?"

"Yes?"

"When you wake me up... do it quietly, please."

Not awaiting her response, he closed his eyes, his very bones aching from the day's exertions. Gently warmed by the light of the Sanctum, within minutes he had drifted off to sleep.

And, seemingly moments later, Link was awoken by the smell of smoke.

_Fire,_ he thought, jumping to his feet and looking about for the danger. But none presented itself.

It felt like he had only just closed his eyes, but judging by how refreshed his body felt he must have been asleep for a few hours, at the very least. Now that Link was fully awake, he could hear the crackle of flames nearby, along with the hushed tones of a low conversation.

A very familiar hulking figure in gilded armour was crouched over a bonfire built on the steps of the pyramid. "Ganondorf," Link said.

He half-turned. "You're awake." Navi was sitting on Ganondorf's shoulder.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"Six hours," Navi said. "Ganondorf got here an hour ago and said to let you sleep."

"You'll need your rest. It's likely we still have a long journey ahead of us, and we don't know what other dangers we may face down below."

Link peered over Ganondorf's shoulder at the fire, which was burning merrily without the aid of any wood whatsoever. "Whoa, where did you get those?" Eight good-sized fish were impaled on Ganondorf's greatsword, which he held over the flames and was turning gently.

"There's water all around us down here. Fish from the river must find their way down through the waterways."

"There are fish in here?" He looked down into the dark waters that surrounded the base of the pyramid. "Are you sure they're safe to eat?"

Seeing that they were cooked plenty, Ganondorf withdrew his sword from over the fire and slid one of the fish off of the end of it. "No." He took a big bite out of it, scales and all. "But I'm so hungry that I don't care."

Link realized that he didn't either. He sat next to the fire and started to eat. The fish, although bland, had been cleaned and cooked well enough to be more than appetizing. "I fought the Nameless on my way down here."

"Let me guess... it appeared as a dark version of yourself?"

He looked up sharply. "How did you know?"

"Because I fought it as well, and the same thing happened to me." Ganondorf sighed, and there was something more than just tiredness in that sigh. "That's old, dark magic. I was forced to confront everything that I had once been. The dark beast, Ganon."

"And?"

"I destroyed the monster. Or, so I thought, until you told me that you, too, had encountered it."

Link nodded. "I did. I killed it."

"You killed your twin. I killed mine." He paused to take another big bite. "But what about Midna? She left us to confront the monster on her own. What if she fought an apparition just like we did?"

"Midna told us she had a plan," Link said. "So I'm willing to believe in her for a little while longer."

"A 'little while' isn't forever," Ganondorf replied. "Either she's dead or she isn't. Remember, Midna knows this place a lot better than we do, so she probably won't get lost. If she doesn't turn up soon, then we have to go on without her."

Link nodded. Neither of them voiced the additional worry that the Nameless was still alive, somewhere out there in the darkness. "How long should we give her?"  
Ganondorf sighed again. "Half a day. We'll give her half a day."

"Agreed." Link turned back to the fire. He kept it to himself that he had only been thinking eight hours.

As it turned out, eight hours was about how long it took for a familiar tall redhead to come slogging out of the waist-high water that filled the cavern.

Midna looked like an absolute wreck: her hair and face were coated in what could have been either dried mud or blood., her supplies and her sword were missing, and her clothes were torn and, in many places, burnt.

"Go wake Ganondorf," Link said under his breath. Navi fluttered off into the temple.

She climbed the temple stairs in a daze and collapsed soggily in front of the fire.

"You look absolutely horrible," Link told her.

"So do you," she said, raking a hand through her matted hair. "But at least I'll look better after a bath. You're stuck with ugly." But then she lifted her head. "I'm glad you're still alive, Link. Where's Ganondorf?"

"Sleeping. And _you're_ glad? We've been waiting hours for you! What happened?"

She took a deep breath. And then another. Link was beginning to wonder if she was going to answer him when she said, "Zelda did something. Some sort of magic, something I'm unfamiliar with. When I went to confront the Nameless, it... _split_. Into three parts."

"That makes sense," Link said.

She frowned. "It does?"

"Yes. Ganondorf and I both fought shadows that took our own forms. Did the same thing happen to you?"

Another long pause. "Yes. But... do you remember how I used to look? When I was an imp? That was what the Nameless turned into. It had all of the powers that I used to, before Zelda took the magic of my reliquary from me. I had to run. It almost killed me, but I barely got away."

Midna snapped her fingers, and a tiny blue flame appeared in the palm of her hand. She stared at it for a while. "I need my reliquary back, Link. I've decided- I can't go on being this much weaker than I once was."

"In the past, I've been able to control the Nameless, to an extent, but something was different this time. Zelda had done something, some sort of powerful magic, that I couldn't counteract without my old strength. Whatever influence I had over the creature is gone."

"I think it's about time you explained why you had that power in the first place." Ganondorf's gilded black armour rattled about his frame as he stepped towards her. "I believe you owe us an explanation."

"Ganondorf, she just walked out of the catacombs. She looks like she's about to pass out. Give her a break."

His eyes narrowed. "No. You've been hiding this from us for far too long, Midna. The spell that binds that creature is powerful, unique magic, unlike anything else in Hyrule. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

Midna gritted her teeth, and her eyes darted back and forth between Link, Ganondorf, and Navi. "Fine. I wasn't just acting on a hunch when I said I could control the Nameless. I have always had that ability. And it isn't just because the magic that binds it is of Twili origin."

"Then what is it?" Link had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer.

"The night that Zant and Zelda descended into the deepest recesses of Hyrule and created that monster- the night the Twili people died- I was with them."

"Did they kidnap you?" Navi asked.

"What? No." She scowled. "I could command the beast because I gave it life. I created the Nameless."

Link turned to glance out into the darkness of the caverns, knowing that the beast still roamed those shadows. "Goddesses, Midna, what have you done?"

Ganondorf sat down, and leaned forward. "Maybe you'd better explain everything from the beginning."

* * *

I had originally included Midna's confrontation with the Nameless, but after rewriting the section several times, I came to the conclusion that there was no way to include it without the chapter becoming overly repetitive.

I'm finding that, this close to the end of the story, I am very frequently having to reread previous chapters, in order to avoid continuity errors and make sure that the story fits together as a whole. I'd initially estimated that _Sacred Reliquary _would be 30 chapters long, but it's now looking like it will be something closer to 35.


	28. Chapter 28

28

Midna Tells a Story (Reprise). Hyrule Castle Town. Further Unpleasantness.

* * *

_The first thing Midna noticed about the Princess Zelda was that the darkness did not seem to touch her._

_ This far beneath Hyrule, in the heart of the Twili kingdom, natural light was a scarcity. But Zelda seemed to radiate a light of her own, somehow, and now even in the deep of the night her skin glowed as if illuminated by gentle sunlight._

_ Not that Midna had ever seen the sun. The light of day was like fire upon the skin of all but the most magically gifted Twili, and even they could not bear its heat for very long._

_ They were waiting in icy silence, the two of them, in an antechamber beneath the Sol Sanctum. This was the very lowest part of her kingdom, Midna knew, and tonight while the Twili people slept they would steal down to the forbidden depths and conduct a ritual so secret that it would mean death if they were found out._

_ Even for figures as beloved as the Twilight Princess and her fiancee, the mighty vizier Zant. The magic of the reliquary was ancient, and the very mention of it was taboo. The knowledge of it had long ago been sealed away in the palace's most heavily guarded recesses, and those Twili priests that had once practised it were all long since dead_

_ At the centre of the antechamber, a stone slab was set into the floor. It was featureless, save for one symbol: three triangles, joined together to form one. Zelda had removed one of her white gloves, revealing the same insignia tattooed on the back of her hand._

_ They both turned at the sound of footsteps. Zant descended the narrow staircase and swept into the room, his voluminous robes fluttering behind him._

_ "Midna." He embraced her, briefly, tightly, and then turned to Zelda. "I have it. I have the book."_

_ "Let me see it," she said. Zant produced a heavy black tome from inside his robes. The cover was inscribed with numerous intersecting circles which shone oddly despite the absence of light._

_ Zelda opened the book and flipped through several pages of seemingly incomprehensible symbols. "Yes," she muttered, "Your people have done well. Such powerful magic... It's almost a shame."_

_ "What is?" Midna asked._

_ "That it should remain hidden," Zant answered, perhaps a bit hastily. "It is dangerous, true, but in the hands of such gifted individuals as ourselves? Think of the good we could do."_

_ Zelda raised her hand- the one with the tattoo on it. "No time to lose. The night carries on, and the appointed time draws near."_

_ The triangles on the back of Zelda's hand shone with a blinding light and in that same split second, so did the ones engraved upon the stone slab. And then the slab was gone, revealing a dark passageway beneath and more steps leading down._

_ Zelda started down the steps, descending confidently into that darkness. Zant followed, and Midna jumped forward to stay close to him._

_ "I'm not the one protecting you down here," he said, a hint of mirth in his voice._

_ They travelled in darkness. Midna saw very little of their journey, but occasionally heard the sounds of things moving just out of the range of her vision. "You will not be harmed," Zelda said. "Not as long as you are with me."_

_ Presently they came upon a great hall, and it was here that Zelda stopped. They had arrived._

_ The floor of the hall was covered in strange symbols that Midna had never seen before, flowing into one another and comprising an enormous binding circle, the blueprint for powerful magic. The lines of the spell were neither etched into the ground or drawn with chalk or paint. Rather, they seemed to be made of a faint, golden light._

_ "The book, please," Zelda said, and Zant handed it to her._

_ She opened the musty pages and began examining them, pacing the room and periodically bending down and inscribing new golden lines, or erasing old ones. Light seemed to pour from her fingers where she touched the floor._

_ As the old pattern was slowly altered into something new, Zant watched quietly. "It's beautiful," he breathed, finally._

_ "The greatest achievement of the Twili people," Zelda said. "One idea, gestating for generations, and now finally come to fruition. Tonight, the Twili fulfil their purpose."_

_ Something about that didn't sound right. "What does that mean?" Midna asked sharply. "Zant, what is she talking about?"_

_ "The magic we do here tonight will make Hyrule strong," Zant said, proudly. "For centuries we have lived down here in the darkness, but after tonight, the entire city shall know us!"_

_ "It is time." Zelda's solemn voice echoed briefly in the dark hall. "Take your place in the circle."_

_ Along the circumference of the glowing design were three empty spaces, evenly spaced. Zelda was already standing in one of them. Zant stepped into his position. But Midna hesitated. "Maybe the priests sealed the reliquary magic for a reason. Maybe we shouldn't be unleashing this kind of power."_

_ Zant's eyes flicked quickly from Midna to Zelda._

_ But the icy Princess smiled. "You are in no danger, Midna. I am here, and inside my city there is no power greater than my own."_

_ "Think of the power we would wield together, my love," Zant pleaded. "Think of all that we could do."_

_ Midna stepped forward, into the last space in the circle._

_ Immediately, the room was illuminated the the brilliant light of the spell. Looking around briefly, Midna saw that the seemed to be in some sort of great audience chamber, ringed with crumbling pillars and with walls of mossy stone._

_ Magic surged through her, and she could feel the other two connected with her, through the enchantment. The familiar presence of Zant at her left, and to her right, the almost incomprehensible power of the Princess Zelda._

_ "This magic... it is different from what I have read," Zant commented._

_ Zelda closed her eyes. Power began to crackle all around them as she channelled energy into the spell. "Splitting a soul takes a great amount of power. Splitting three takes more. And if one of those three is as great as mine... then it will require magic unlike anything Hyrule has ever seen."_

_ She was no fool. Midna knew another ancient secret of the Twili, whereby great amounts of power could be gained from removing the soul of an individual from their body. "Zant! She's brought us here to kill us! She's planning on using us to power the reliquary spell!"_

_ It was too late to step out of the circle. Even as she struggled against it the magic worked to bind her tighter, holding her in place._

_ Zelda actually laughed at this, a soft, cold, chuckle. "Do not flatter yourself. The two of you are not nearly enough."_

_ "What are you... NO!" Realization washed over her. "Zant! Do something! She's going to use the Twili people to cast the spell! They'll all be killed! Zant! ZANT!"_

_ The sorcerer had his eyes closed, his face slack. "She will keep her promise."_

_ "That I will," Zelda said. "The two of you, included in the reliquary magic, shall be spared."_

_ "NO! Zant, we have to- we have to stop her!"_

_ Now he opened his eyes and looked into hers. They were still the eyes she had fallen in love with, but only now did she truly see them. "Don't you see, my love? We will receive power beyond our wildest dreams, and live forever. Together."_

_ "You knew?" She whispered. "You knew! You... my gods... what have you done? You're a monster!"_

_ He closed his eyes. The magic all around them was a constant whine in her ears, gradually growing until it began to overwhelm her other senses._

_ Still, she struggled. Still, she shouted._

_ "STOP THIS, ZELDA! PLEASE! GODDESSES, PLEASE, NO!"_

_ There was a single moment of absolute silence. The night seemed to be completely, wholly still, and in that one instant it seemed as though she could feel a hundred thousand lives hanging by a thread._

_ Then the moment passed, the thread snapped, and the world around her was a swirling maelstrom of violent light and wordless screams. The air was rife with agony, her head was filled with nothing but thoughts of fear, and despair, and rage, and hatred. The scream came from around her and from within her, one long howl of pain so complete that she thought her very throat would tear with the strain of it._

_ And still, in this storm of sound and light, Zelda's voice cut through with unnatural clarity._

_ "Do not worry," she said. "They shall not go to waste."_

* * *

The chamber beneath the Sol Sanctum was there, just as Midna had described it. And, just as she had described it, the heavy stone slab sealed the passage downward, the Triforce etched into its black surface.

"The most powerful wizard in the world couldn't move this stone," Ganondorf was saying, apparently impressed. "Not without the key."

Midna's sullen face loomed out of the shadows from where she was skulking in the corner. "A key you two happen to have. Get on with it."

"I'm admiring the magic," he said. "It's masterful. Only three people in the entire world can pass through here. Do you know the skill involved in a spell like this?"

Link reached out towards the sigil. "Shall I do the honors?"

"Be my guest."

He lowered his hand, briefly touching the cool surface of the stone. The now-familiar blinding light of the Triforce filled the room, and then was gone. When Link had blinked the afterimage out of his eyes, he saw that the stone slab had now vanished. The stairs that had once been there had crumbled away, and now a dark passageway yawned open below them.

He looked across the hole at Ganondorf. "Well?"

"Let's do it." Without further delay, he vaulted down into the pit, armour clanking loudly as he landed somewhere below.

Link peered down. He could barely see Ganondorf's dark face looking back up at him, framed by the red of his beard. "You okay?"

"There's a bit of a landing down here, and some more stairs. The rock here is ancient though, and it's covered in some kind of moss."

Navi zipped through Link's peripheral vision, bobbing around the bottom of the pit and illuminating it. "It's not that far! Look!" Although the drop was considerable, he was confident that he could make it safely.

Link slowly lowered himself into the aperture, taking a deep breath and letting go. There was an instant of weightlessness, and then his boots hit the ground hard. He let his knees fold up beneath him and rolled, softening the impact.

Ganondorf helped him up. "Midna," he called up. "Come on. It's time to get moving."

Her head appeared above them. "Will one of you guys catch me?"

"No," they both said.

Cursing, she jumped down and landed in a heap in front of them. "Ow! Ow, ow. I think I broke both my ankles."

Link grabbed her flailing hand and helped her to her feet. "You just want attention. Come on, we must be getting close now."

Ganondorf had gone on ahead, and was already several turns of the narrow spiral staircase beneath them. When he shouted up at them, his deep voice seemed to fill the small space. "Come look at this!"

He was standing next to a hole in the wall.

"It's a hole in the wall," said Midna with literally the smallest amount of enthusiasm she could muster.

"No, look closer. Something about this isn't right."

Link saw it. "It's an arrowslit. Like in a castle wall. Look, here is the space where the archer stands." He came to a sudden realization about what the spiral staircase entailed. "Ganondorf, we're in a tower."

Midna snorted. "Pfft. How could we be in a tower? We're miles underground."

"Exactly," Ganondorf said, dead serious. Suddenly he bolted in a dead sprint down the stairs, cloak flapping behind him as he disappeared around the next bend.

They took off after him. The end of the staircase came almost as a shock to Link, and he nearly ran straight into Ganondorf's back where the Gerudo leader stood gaping.

"I don't believe it," he was saying. "Goddesses above... I never thought I would set eyes on this place again."

Before them was an enormous cavern. And in that cavern was an entire city- empty roads, abandoned homes, derelict temples and shops. They stood atop a wall that circled the town, collapsed in places and with guard towers like the one they had just descended spaced out along its length. The entire cave was cast in an eerie glow, as some kind of luminescent moss had overgrown much of what remained of the city.

At the centre of the town was a castle. And not just any castle. Link recognized this place.

"You know it, don't you?" Ganondorf asked him quietly.

Behind them, Midna and Navi emerged from the stairwell. "Wow!" Navi was saying. "What is this place?"

Link fished the mask salesman's compass out of his cloak. The needle pointed straight ahead, right at the decaying castle. "It's Hyrule Castle Town," Link answered her. "The capital of the nation of Hyrule."

"There must be magic preserving this place," Ganondorf said. "This town has been down here for thousands of years, at least."

Link's eyes followed the curve of the wall around the sunken city. It formed a perfect circle. He noticed how the streets met at odd angles, how evenly spaced the guard towers were, and how Hyrule Castle seemed to be exactly in the centre of the town. "This is it. This is the heart of Zelda's power. The centre of the circle. It's there, in the castle."

"That's where she took Zant and me," Midna piped up. "Where we... where the Twili died."

Link closed his eyes. The constant thrum of power that had been running through him for the past few days was stronger now, like blood pounding through his temples after a bout of strenuous exercise. The three pieces of the Triforce were very close together, now.

Ganondorf seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Let's go," he said, and his voice was hoarse.

The crumbling wall made for a hazardous climb down, over slippery stone and unstable piles of rubble. The city itself was under a waist-deep layer of dark water, which every so often rippled suddenly for no visible reason. Link thought once that he felt something brush his leg beneath the surface, but just as quickly, it was gone.

They waded through the flooded streets, making their way towards the castle. The smell of rot was all around them, and the air was cold and thick with moisture. The heat from the Goron mines was far above and long since gone.

Suddenly, Ganondorf stopped. "Don't say anything," he whispered.

"I didn't-"

"Shh," he shushed Midna softly. "Navi," he said. The fairy leaned forward from her perch on his shoulder. "Fly quickly and quietly. We are surrounded. Inside the houses on our immediate left, at the corner on the right, and the one behind us with the collapsed roof. Come back and tell me how many there are."

She nodded, and was gone.

"Magic?" Midna asked, raising her hands.

"Not yet," he whispered. "If we can avoid aggravating them, so much the better."

Link slowly turned in the water, scanning each of the buildings Ganondorf had mentioned. As he watched, Navi flitted out of one of them and made a beeline for the next. "Do you know what they are?"

"No. But I hear them. Listen."

He listened. In the silence of the cavern, between the sounds of rippling water and their own breathing, a board creaked in one of the houses. Too loudly to be anything natural.

So they stood there, stock-still, until Navi came flitting back to them and landed on Ganondorf's shoulder.

"Well?" he asked.

There was something strange on her face, some emotion so powerful that it was clearly visible even on her tiny features. It was fear. "Run," she said. "There are too many of them. You have to get out of here."

"What?" Midna snapped. "Goddesses, too many of _what?_" Her voice shattered the silence of the cavern.

Link pointed.

Up ahead of them, something had lurched out from the darkness of a flooded alleyway. It was a woman, or at least it had been once, long ago.

Her skin had been waterlogged and rotted until it was a black festering mass that had sloughed off in places, revealing hideous expanses of skull and sinew. Filthy rags still clung wetly to her spindly form, and she walked with an unnatural, uneven gait that was sickening to watch.

Both eyes burned with points of bright blue light, like a cold fire in a dark cave.

Almost without thinking, Link reached for his sword. "Dont-" Ganondorf began, but it was too late. He unsheathed the Master Sword, blade glowing brightly in the darkness and casting a glittering reflection on the water.

The very instant the sword left the scabbard, the shamble-woman raised a bony arm, pointing at him with one broken finger. And then she opened her mouth and screamed.

It was a scream unlike anything any human could make, or for that matter, any creature not born of the blackest magic. The sound cut right through Link, chilling him to the bone. For an instant, even he was overwhelmed with fear, his feet rooted to the ground and an icy hand clutching at his heart.

"Dear Gods," Midna was panicking. "Dear holy Gods."

All around them, the same bone-chilling scream was being taken up a hundred times over as walking corpses appeared in windows and doorways of the derelict houses.

Midna heaved a fireball at the nearest one. The flames ignited the blackened flesh briefly, filling the air with a foul smell as the thing continued to hobble towards them.

"I suppose this is what she did with the people of this town," Ganondorf said mournfully. "It's a trap, to guard against intruders. They must be attracted to magic. That's why your sword enraged them, I think,"

"So what are we supposed to do, stand here quietly and hope they go away?" Midna spat. "The hell I will."

Link raised his sword. "I also think that is a bad idea."

Midna continued to throw magic at the shamble-men, to no avail. Her eyes were wild as she churned up the water around her feet, looking for the next foe.

"Calm down!" Ganondorf said, although he did not sound at all calm himself. "We need to start making our way towards that castle. Slowly- let's stay together, in a circle. Don't panic!"

But Link could feel panic begin to well up inside of him. It was something about their unearthly screeches that struck terror into even his heart. The noise was gut-wrenching, horrifying. He fought to quell his roiling emotions and struck out at one of the shamble-men, slicing it in half from hip to shoulder.

The two halves of the corpse toppled over and vanished beneath the black water. Seconds later Link felt a bony hand wrapping itself around his leg. "Agh! Gods!" He bashed at it with the hilt of his sword, staving in the rotting skull. "They don't die!"

"I can't stop them!" Midna was shouting. "I can't do anything!"

"Towards the castle!" Ganondorf boomed. "Stay calm!"

But there was nowhere to go. The four of them were now completely surrounded by the living corpses, at the centre of a circle that was growing smaller by the minute. No matter the wound Link inflicted upon the horrors, they kept fighting and kept advancing.

Midna raised both her arms above her head. A sudden light appeared there, and Link felt a wave of heat wash over him. "I am not dying here!"

Screaming in exertion, she flung her arms downwards, and an inferno of flame roiled over the undead townsfolk. There was a mighty _thump_ as two of the ancient houses collapsed under the force of the spell, sending plumes of filthy water up into the air. The flames boiled away the liquid and within seconds they had all been engulfed in a cloud of steam, the oncoming monsters reduced to shadows moving towards them through the mist.

Suddenly, the flames disappeared. Link turned in time to see Midna's eyes roll up into the back of her head as she collapsed, sinking beneath the foaming waters.

"Uh-oh!" Navi shouted.

"Gods dammit," Link plunged his free arm into the water. It felt like he had just submerged it in a block of ice. Swiping blindly in the murk, he found Midna and hauled her up one-handed, slinging her over his shoulder. With his other hand he held the Master Sword high, as it and Navi were now the only visible sources of light in the billowing steam.

"Let's go!" Ganondorf said, lowering his shoulders and charging headlong into the mist. Link sprinted along behind him, Midna's head thumping into the small of his back with every step.

"Ow... hey, Link- ow. Did I get them...?"

"Yeah, you got them good," he said. "Shut up now, OK?"

He put his head down and concentrated on staying close to Ganondorf. The Gerudo leader was using the flat side of his greatsword to knock the living corpses aside, sending them flying through the air with each mighty swing.

"This way- no, this way!" Navi guided them. They broke free of the heavy steam that Midna had stirred up and saw that they were only a short distance from where the castle steps rose out of the water.

The entire population of the city had risen from its centuries-long slumber, now. All around them the living dead were stumbling from doorways or rising out of the water, reaching out to wrap their arms around the intruders and pull them down into the murk.

They were sprinting full-out now, Link and Ganondorf, both of them breathing hard and churning up white foam. Link's boots sank into the muck at the bottom with each step, and his legs were burning with exertion after only a couple minutes of running. His lungs felt like they were about to burst.

And then suddenly they were there, out of the water and ascending the white steps of the castle two at a time and skidding to a stop just inside the gate.

Link dropped Midna to the ground unceremoniously in his rush to get to the winch and close the portcullis. "It's rusted shut!"

Ganondorf joined him and threw his back into turning the lever, but both their combined strength could still only turn it a quarter of the way. Desperate, Link slammed himself into the winch, drawing every last bit of effort from his already exhausted legs.

"Relax, you guys," Midna said, lifting herself up onto her elbows. "They can't come into the castle."

Red-faced and puffing, both Ganondorf and Link stepped away from the winch. "What?" They said in unison.

"Look!" Navi said. "She's right!"

Sure enough, not a single one of the horrors had set foot on the castle's steps. They milled about, groaning and screaming their awful scream, but there seemed to be an invisible line around Hyrule Castle that they could not cross.

As they watched, some of them lurched off or simply sank back beneath the water. Something about the castle was keeping them away.

"Hey, jerk, help me up."

Link took Midna's hand and pulled her to her feet. She wobbled a bit and then leaned against him. "So, uh, sorry for dropping you there. Are you alright?"

Her face had a strange pallor to it, and sweat shone on her brow. "Fine. I'm fine. I overestimated myself back there, that's all. Not what I used to be."

Ganondorf sheathed his sword. "It's close by. Let's go."

Together, the four of them walked across the barren courtyard and into the castle's great hall. Just as Midna had said, the floor of the room was covered with the runes of Zelda's magic, entwined together in a great circle that glowed softly with the golden light of the Triforce.

"It's here," Midna said. "This is where... it happened."

Ganondorf closed his eyes, and pressed his hand against the floor. "Link. Can you feel that?"

"I do." The sensation of powerful magic was all around them. Not just at their feet, but through the entire castle, as if the enchantment was contained within the stone walls themselves.

This was the centre of the vast enchantment that enveloped the city. Zelda's piece of the Triforce was somewhere here, inside the ancient remains of Hyrule castle. Hopefully, all that remained was to find it.

But Link knew more than enough to expect that it wasn't going to be quite so easy.

* * *

In my original outline of this story, Midna's flashback sequence here was intended to take up an entire chapter. However, as with Ganondorf's similar sequences in earlier chapters, I found that it was both intrusive and detrimental to the plot, especially when it has been advancing at the rate that it has. However, Midna's story had to be included, so I tried to go for a minimalist approach when deciding what details I should put in there.

Yes, the zombie Hylians are intended to be ReDead. I had to put them in this story somewhere, they're the creepiest enemies in the whole series. It was a challenge to do so without once using the words 'zombie' or 'ReDead,' I found.

The next chapter will be very long. From a narrative perspective, it will also be the climax of the story, as everything that happens afterwards will simply be the inevitable playing itself out. I always loved plays and stories where the climax was only obvious in retrospect- for example, _Macbeth_. I've tried to emulate that structure in writing _Sacred Reliquary._ Look forward to the next chapter- it's gonna be good.


	29. Chapter 29

I consider this to be the most important chapter of the entire story. Read carefully.

* * *

29

Mistakes From Another Life. The Triforce of Wisdom. Ice, Flame, and Shadow.

* * *

These words were for him, and for him alone. Ganondorf's voice was a quiet murmur in Link's ear, low enough that neither Midna nor Navi could overhear.

"When the time comes, you must promise me that you will take Zelda's piece of the Triforce."

It was a big thing to ask of him. "What's this all about?"

"You must keep it from me." Ganondorf was dead serious. "For countless lifetimes I did horrible things in pursuit of that power. I do not trust myself with it."

There was a time when Ganondorf holding two-thirds of the Triforce would have been a notion that terrified Link. But thinking about it now, he realized that the Gerudo was maybe the only person in the world that he now trusted with that responsibility. "Are you sure that's necessary? I know you're not that man anymore."

"Do you want to know the truth?" Ganondorf looked him in the eye. "I'm scared. Of what I used to be. And I'm scared that I could become that monster again. Please, Link, do me this one favour."

"I'll do it. But remember: Running away from your fears is not the same as conquering them."

He didn't acknowledge Link's advice, turning away and saying, "You go and search the castle. Zelda's reliquary must be hidden here somewhere, so come and tell me once you've found it. In the meantime, I'll try and decipher these symbols and see if I can find a way to break this enchantment."

"...Alright. Good luck."

Ganondorf remained hunched over the floor, not looking up as the footsteps of Link and Midna faded into quietness as they set off further into the bowels of the abandoned castle. His breath formed faint wisps of white in the cold as he studied the runes on the floor, admiring the artistry that had gone into their creation.

"Decided to stay with me again, have you?" He said after a while.

"Yep!" Navi alighted on his shoulder. Through his armour, he couldn't even feel her tiny weight. "I think you need a friend to keep you company."

"That's what you said last time."

She smiled up at him. "I was right, wasn't I?"

Slowly, Ganondorf smiled back. "Yes. I suppose you were."

* * *

"Do you think Ganondorf has been acting... kind of weird lately?"

Link watched the needle of the compass wobble back and forth before finally pointing them left. "I think you've been acting weird lately," he said.

Midna gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

"It's hard to explain. It just seems like recently you've been distracted by something. You're not yourself."

She scowled. "And what is 'myself?' What should I be like?"

"Well, usually nothing seems to get to you. But now... it's like your mind is elsewhere. You're distracted, I suppose."

They were wandering the dungeons of the abandoned castle, cold gutted corridors that ran beneath the foundations of the ancient structure. A chill wind blew through the narrow passageways.

A chill wind that was unusual considering they were several kilometres underground. They'd been following its keening wail for some time now, certain that the source must be unnatural. It was cold beneath the castle, so cold that some of the stone walls were coated in a thin layer of frost.

"Do you remember," Midna said suddenly, "The last time we saw each other? In the mirror chamber at Arbiter's Grounds?"

_A memory from another life. A memory that she shouldn't have._

He rubbed his hands together, flexing his fingers in an attempt to keep them from going numb. Link couldn't believe how cold it was down here. "Yes."

"And... do you remember what I said? The last words I spoke to you?"

It had been an unfinished sentence, he recalled. "Yeah. I remember."

He waited for her to say something else, but when she didn't he glanced over his shoulder at her. Midna trudged along behind him, staring firmly at her boots, her long hair falling forward and hiding her face.

In his concern for her, Link almost missed it- a stone door, with the three triangles of the Triforce visible through the frost that covered it. "Look here," he said. "I think this is it."

Slowly, Midna turned her head to look at the door. She stared at it for a long time, and then looked back at him.

"Midna, is something-"

He stopped midsentence because suddenly Midna had taken two quick steps towards him, and then her arms were wrapped around his neck, her hair was in his eyes and her mouth was pressed firmly against his.

In all of his lives, Link was unsure that anybody had ever kissed him the way that Midna was now. It felt like fire being breathed into him, so fiercely did she burn, and one of her fists clenched his hair, somehow managing to draw him even tighter against her. In the chill air he was acutely aware of her warmth, and the quick gasping breath he took in the second she broke away was like ice water in his lungs. But then she was kissing him again, the gesture so filled with need and tenderness that all he could do was let her burn against him.

As suddenly as she had leaped at him, she jumped away, her eyes meeting his briefly.

"...Shut up," she muttered, and then took off in a full sprint down the frozen corridor.

Link just stood there. He could still feel her fading heat against his chest, and the sensation of her lips on his.

Tears stung Link's cheeks. They weren't his.

With a sigh of resignation, he sat with his back against the dungeon wall, trying his best to make himself comfortable. He knew what choice Midna would make. After all, she had made it once before.

* * *

It was a short while later when Ganondorf came striding down the passageway towards him, with Navi fluttering along behind and Midna trying her best to appear aloof.

Link decided that it would be best if he pretended to forget about what had happened between the two of them. Perhaps there would come a time when he could talk to her about it, but right now it was simply a distraction from the task at hand, and he pushed it out of his mind.

"Well?" Link said to Ganondorf. "Did you figure anything out?"

Ganondorf stopped in front of the sealed doorway and examined the Triforce crest on it. "Yes. And I don't think you're going to like it."

"What is it?"

Instead of explaining, Ganondorf gestured at the door.

Link stepped forward and laid his hand on the crest. Just as before, there was a flash of golden light, and the doorway disappeared, revealing a stone staircase that descended into the blackness ahead. A gust of frigid wind swirled out of the opening and buffeted Link's hair around his face.

They started down the stairs, Navi illuminating the way ahead. There was a gentle curve to the staircase, Link noticed almost immediately. It took him only a few minutes longer to notice that the curve was slowly widening, and that they were moving downwards in larger and larger circles.

As they walked, Ganondorf began to explain. "The ruins of Hyrule castle are placed at the exact centre of the city of Hyrule, up above. The magic circle in the throne room that we just saw acts as a focal point for the enchantment, allowing Zelda to control the flow of power from her reliquary. It seems that I woefully underestimated the sheer scale and complexity of the spell- I almost can't believe she's actually done it."

"Well, she's had a few thousand years to get it right," Link said.

Ganondorf thought for a moment. "Here's the best example I can give: Think of Hyrule as being shaped like an hourglass."

"Now, just like the flow of sand is restricted by the thinnest part of the hourglass, so is the flow of magic restricted by the binding circle in the old Hyrule Castle. We are talking about untold amounts of power, here, something that has never been done in this world or any other. Allowed to pour forth unheeded, it could tear the city apart. So it makes sense that Zelda would need some way to control how much of it was fed into her enchantment."

Link was seeing exactly how Ganondorf's theory was related to their current task. "So the Triforce is still somewhere below us."

"Yes. The most fundamental part of the enchantment- that which draws power from the piece of Zelda that is fused with the Triforce- will be somewhere beneath the focal point of her magic."

"How much farther down?" Midna asked.

"I think we're about to find out."

They continued walking in silence, for half an hour, then an hour, then two. The stairs' gentle curve gradually widened until it was imperceptible, and they may as well have been walking in a straight line.

Navi's eyes, ever the keenest, spotted it first. "Light up ahead!"

Link saw it moments afterward. It wasn't the warmth of daylight. But neither was it the golden glow of the Triforce. Instead, it was a cold misty whiteness. Another blast of chill air swirled up from the opening ahead and sucked the heat from the air around them.

It only took them a few more minutes to reach the light. And when they did-

"Is this for real?" Midna asked. "It... it can't be..."

"Gods," Link said. There were no words that could describe the sight before them.

It was a pit, so wide and so vast that the far side of it was hidden in a white fog. Ahead of them, the staircase disappeared into that same fog, hugging the gargantuan circumference and gently sloping downwards.

"How wide do you think this is?" Midna knelt down and levered her head over the edge of the stairs, looking down.

"How wide is the city of Hyrule?" Ganondorf said as an answer. "I shudder to think of how far it is to the bottom."

Far, far below, a gentle glow radiated through the whiteness, illuminating the entire chasm. It was freezing cold, and snowflakes fluttered around in the wind that howled through the emptiness.

"Well," Link said, after they had absorbed the sheer scale of what they were looking at. "I bet it's a long journey down. No point waiting around up here."

So they started walking.

It soon became apparent that the walls of the cavern were so utterly featureless that they could walk for hours without making any visible progress. Indeed, they did just that, and after the eighth hour of nothing but stairs, Midna could take no more.

"Stop!" she yelled suddenly. "Stop, here. I just thought of something."

Glad for a break, they dropped their packs and turned to face her. She was last in their procession, and Ganondorf first, so they both were looking up at her.

"What if this is a trap?" she said. "Like, an infinite staircase, or something, so we're stuck here walking forever, and we never get anywhere?"

Ganondorf paused to consider this. "It is... unlikely. We would be able to tell if we were in the grip of such an enchantment."

She sighed. "What if we jumped? Maybe there's an enchantment down there that will cushion our fall?"

He laughed dryly at this. "If you want to jump, then be my guest. But I don't think it would be the wisest course of action."

"Well, what about this?" Midna unbuckled her sword. "Not like this thing will ever do me any good, anyways." She tossed it into the pit.

Arcing lazily, the sword seemed to hover there in the void for a moment, before vanishing and falling out of view. They leaned forward, listening for the sound of the weapon hitting bottom, but no sound ever came.

Midna moaned in despair. "We're going to be walking down these stairs forever, I just know it."

Link ignored her. "Let's give it three more hours, and then we'll stop. We'll all need sleep by that point anyways. Hopefully we'll reach the bottom tomorrow."

When did they finally did decide to stop for a rest, three and a half hours had passed and there was still nothing visible through the thick white mist. The staircase was wide enough, at least, for the three of them to huddle around one of Midna's conjured fires and attempt to drive some of the chill from their bones.

"It's times like this I feel my age," Ganondorf said, rubbing his hands together. "I grow tired of this fight."

"It's almost over," Midna's voice was quiet. "Hyrule will be ours. Soon. And we can finally make things right. People won't need to be afraid anymore."

Ganondorf sighed and then leaned back against the cold stone. "Maybe then, I will at last be able to rest."

Link noticed that the look on Midna's face was a very strange one, indeed. "Well, I don't know how restful sleeping on a frozen staircase is going to be," he said, "But let's get what sleep we can. Maybe we can make it to the bottom of this thing tomorrow."

Just as he had suspected, the frozen steps were an extraordinarily uncomfortable place to lie down and sleep. He lay there for what felt like hours, unable to sleep, and his mind was put further ill at ease by the strange sounds that he thought he could hear, echoing up faintly from somewhere far, far below.

* * *

They didn't reach the bottom of the pit the next day, or the day after that. But on the fourth day of their descent into the featureless whiteness, the bottom of the pit suddenly loomed out of the void below them.

"Is this... ice?" Midna said, stepping off of the last stair and setting foot on the bluish surface and brushing away the dusting of snow that lay on top of it. "It is!"

At first, Link thought that the surface of the ice seemed to be glowing slightly. But then he realized that the source of the light was actually something frozen deep beneath it.

He knelt and began swiping away large swathes of snow, uncovering more and more of the glassy surface. Sure enough, a golden light shone from below, through a thick shield of frozen water. "This is it," he said. "This is the heart of Zelda's enchantment."

Contained within the ice were layers upon layers of shining circles and runes, woven together with stunning complexity. The design occupied three dimensions, he saw, and the ice held the whole thing together.

Ganondorf had come to the same realization that he had. "We are standing atop an enormous binding circle. This is the source of the spell that powers Zelda's magic, here beneath our feet."

Midna raised her fist in the air, and fire bloomed between her clenched fingers. "What are we waiting for, then?"

She brought her fist down, smashing into the ice and sending shards of it flying. But as she raised her fist for another blow, the crater that she had made filled in, refreezing itself. Within seconds, the ice had been repaired completely.

"Well, that was my idea," Midna said. "Now what?"

"Now-" Link shuffled around in his pack, withdrawing the golden compass. "We follow this."

The needle pointed them away from the wall, into the white mist. Towards the centre of the circle. Towards the Triforce of Wisdom.

They set off into the mist, walking slowly for fear of losing purchase on the slippery terrain.

"Do you feel that?" Ganondorf asked him, quietly.

"What?" Midna interrupted. "Is it the Triforce?"

Ganondorf unsheathed his greatsword. "No. Something else. Something bad."

Link drew the Master Sword and tried to dispel some of the haze with its light. He could feel a malevolent presence lurking in the fog. For a few minutes more they walked in silence, slowly approaching the centre of the great chamber.

"Ee-hee!" A faint giggle echoed towards them out of the haze.

"There!" Navi shouted. "Just ahead!"

Amidst the swirling whiteness hovered a dark shape. It was a familiar silhouette- the tiny body that had once been Midna's, complete with the two-pronged helm atop her head. It was the last remnant of the Nameless.

As quickly as it had appeared, it dissolved into smoke and was gone, fading into the void around them.

"It guards this place," Midna said, eyes darting back and forth, straining for a glimpse of the monstrosity. "This is what it was made for. To keep watch."

"Then this is the very source of its power," Ganondorf replied. "Keep moving. Be on your guard."

They continued on through the fog, their long journey beneath Hyrule nearing its end with each step. Was it just Link's imagination, or was the golden glow beneath the ice becoming more and more pronounced?

"I see something!" Midna said suddenly. "On the ground!"

It was a small, dark shape lying on the ice. They approached it cautiously, with blades drawn.

"Oh!" Navi flitted over the shape. "It's that sword you threw down here earlier!"

Link let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Gods," he punched Midna on the shoulder. "Don't scare us like that."

She bent and picked up the sword. "Yeah... yeah." She turned the weapon over in her hands and for a moment, seemed as if she was going to buckle it at her waist once again. But then she threw the blade aside. "Let's go. We're almost there."

They continued to follow the needle of the compass, which began to swing more and more wildly, growing hot in Link's hand. Only- it wasn't. It took a few minutes for him to realize, but Link's hand was shaking, and the Triforce symbol on his skin was burning.

"Din, Farore, and Nayru," Ganondorf was saying. He was clenching and unclenching his own fist reflexively, the sigil there shining brightly as well. His face seemed to have an unusual pallor to it, and he was sweating despite the cold.

The Triforce was calling out, each piece sensing the presence of its siblings.

Finally they reached a spot where the light from beneath them was brightest, pulsing like the beating of some great heart. His face cast in a golden glow, Link knelt to peer beneath the ice again.

There it was. At the very centre of the grand design, in the spot where all the glowing lines intersected, there was a tiny light that burned even brighter than the sun itself. Link estimated that the golden triangle was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

"It's here," he said, standing, "right below us."

There was a moment of silence as the realization of what they were looking at washed over all of them.

"How do we get it out?" Navi asked. "We can't break the ice."

"We could-" Midna began, but then her face paled. "It's here. The Nameless. It's here now."

All traces of melancholy suddenly vanished, Ganondorf twirled his broadsword over his head and slammed it down into the ice. "Then here is where we end the blighted thing."

As Link settled into a defensive stance and began scanning the gold-tinged mist around them, he could tell that Midna was panicking. He could hear her feet scrambling for purchase in the snow, and the strange high note in her voice. "I can't kill it," she was saying, "not like this, I'm too weak, but I have an idea, I can get the Triforce! You two need to hold it off, just hold it off for five, maybe ten minutes. Maybe ten. That's it, I can do it, I swear!"

"Ten minutes?" Ganondorf said. In the silence between his words, Link thought he could hear footsteps coming from somewhere out in the fog.

"I need time to draw on enough magic to shatter the ice from underneath. Maybe fifteen," Midna said. She had started drawing lines in the air, the beginnings of a powerful spell.

"You almost killed yourself with magic fighting those living corpses," Link said. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Just buy me time!" She shouted back at him. And then she had no more time for words, as she began to chant under her breath as her fingers traced lines of fire in the air.

Both Link and Ganondorf paced around the spot where Midna was kneeling on the ice, blades drawn and searching the mist for any hint of movement. "It's can't wait long," Ganondorf said. "It needs to protect the Triforce. It will come to us, soon."

They continued their vigil, the silence around them broken by Midna's low chanting. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Still, she wove magic above the spot where the Triforce rested.

The whiteness that surrounded them was so complete that Link's eyes began to play tricks on him. Several times he thought he saw dark shapes lurking in the haze, but each time he would blink and they would be gone.

"Where are you...?" he whispered.

There was a sudden shout from behind him. Link whirled in time to see Ganondorf hurling lightning into the fog.

"I saw it, right there. It was only for a second."

"This damned fog," Link cursed. "I can't tell if I'm imagining things or actually seeing-"

A dark shape flickered at the edge of his vision, something black and hideous shifting in the fog.

"Dammit, there! It's-"

It happened in an instant.

The Nameless poured towards them out of the whiteness, its black hide roiling like something out of a nightmare, and before Link had time to do anything more than raise his sword it was upon him, knocking him to the ice.

Sliding wildly through the thin layer of snow, unable to find purchase, he slashed wildly at the beast, and it recoiled with an angry screech. A tendril of shadow lashed out, striking his sword arm and pinning it to the ice as the beast raised a clawed appendage and swung it down at him.

Ganondorf crashed into the Nameless from the side, screaming wordlessly and driving his own sword deep into its hide. The monster was flung off of Link as Ganondorf and the beast fought madly, staining the ice crimson with spilled blood.

The Nameless threw Ganondorf aside, easily, and he crashed heavily to the ice. His greatsword flew from his grip and skittered through the thin snow.

The creature was a nightmarish colossus, its bulk towering above them. With one massive hand it swiped at Link, and he had to throw himself aside to avoid being crushed.

"I thought it was nearly dead!" He sprinted headlong, boots slipping underneath him, barely keeping himself ahead of the Nameless's scything limbs.

"It's more powerful here!" Ganondorf shouted, scrambling to retrieve his sword. There was blood running out of his mouth and staining his beard. "The Triforce lends it strength!"

Link dodged another mighty blow and retaliated with a flick of the Master Sword, but the damage he inflicted was little more than a scratch to the behemoth. "How do we kill it?" He shouted.

"We can't, not here!" Ganondorf flung bolts of lightning that sloughed harmlessly off the dark hide of the beast. "It's too strong!"

"Any second now, Midna!" Link yelled.

But she was beyond hearing him now, so absorbed in the spell that the sounds of the nearby battle didn't interrupt her rhythmic chant in the slightest.

"You need to buy more time!" Navi yelled.

_Use the terrain, _Link thought to himself.

"YAAAAGGH!" He charged the Nameless, shouting at the top of his lungs in an attempt to get the creature's attention. Ponderously, it turned, taking another swipe at him with a slowness that belied the power behind the motion.

He ducked under the blow, and felt the shuddering crash as came down in the spot he had occupied an instant before. Link dropped to one knee and broke into a slide along the ice, his momentum carrying him underneath the belly of the beast. Swinging the Master Sword with both hands and pouring all of his strength into the strike, he slashed at the massive legs of the Nameless.

The effort drew a bellow of effort from his lungs, and the shining blade cut deeply into the black flesh this time, slicing through the creature's hind legs as though they were nothing more than smoke. With a roar, the beast collapsed, gouts of ichor pouring forth from its wound. Link's boots caught on an unevenness in the ice, and his tired legs betrayed him as he overbalanced and crashed painfully into the hard surface yet again.

"Run!" Ganondorf's voice seemed muffled, although harsh echoes of his magic and the monster's roars had a surreal clarity to them. "Run, Link!"

His every muscle protesting the action, he struggled to his feet and raised his blade once more.

In its rage, the Nameless had now ceased to resemble anything more than a furious tangle of writhing limbs and snapping jaws. It poured towards Link like an oil slick, moving with unnatural speed across the ice. Glowing yellow eyes focused on him with predatory bloodlust in their gaze.

Reaching back with all of his strength, Link took one strong step towards the monster and heaved the Master Sword at it.

In the furthest corner of his perception, he heard Ganondorf shouting, _'What the hell are you DOING!?' _but it was too late, the blade was already spinning end over end towards the surging shadows.

His aim was true, and the sword buried itself deeply into the brightest and biggest of the creature's eyes, sending it rearing backwards in pain, unable to stop its forward motion as it slid across the ice.

The Nameless rammed into Link with bone-crushing force, sending a spray of snow high into the air. Link pulled his sword out of the oozing eye socket and slashed madly, scoring blow after blow on the screeching creature's flesh.

"Haagh!"

The breath was pushed from his lungs in a sharp exhortation as the Nameless finally swatted him aside, sending him flying through the air and slamming painfully into the ice.

"Midna!"

The one word was all he could muster. At least two of his ribs were broken. Probably more. In an ironic twist of fate, the only thing that had saved Link's life was the enchanted tunic that Zelda had given him.

His vision blurred. Ganondorf was fighting the creature now, he saw, and losing. In a haze of pain, he watched the shining broadsword flicker back and forth with each mighty swing, saw the bursts of magic as brief flares of light against the shadows of the beast.

He stood up, ready to help, but tumbled to the ice again, suddenly overwhelmed by agony.

Link looked down. "Oh."

The white cloth of his pants had blossomed into bright red all the way down his left leg. His shin had been broken, badly, the bone now jutting out through his skin, and Link was lying in a rapidly growing pool of his own blood.

"Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no!" Navi was zipping back and forth, trying her best to heal him, to stop him from bleeding to death.

"Help me!" Ganondorf shouted suddenly. He was being overwhelmed by the Nameless, badly wounded but still on his feet, and being beaten backwards by the force of the creature's assault. "Link! Help me!" In the fury of battle he hadn't even noticed that Link had been incapacitated.

Link found that he was very, very tired. A bleak certainty washed over him- that this was it, that this life would end here in this frozen abyss far below the city, and that he would begin yet another life in yet another version of Hyrule.

There was a sudden, sharp _crack_, like a cannon firing, and he was jerked out of his morbid ruminations.

This strange noise was immediately followed by several more just like it in quick succession. Link looked around him for the source of the sounds, and then realized they were coming from beneath the ice itself.

In the centre of her magic circle, Midna knelt with arms splayed at her sides. Her head was tilted back, eyes unfocused, mouth open in a silent scream.

And underneath them, light blossomed. Not the pulsing golden light of the Triforce, but the roiling light of flames. Unable to run, barely able to move, all he could do was watch.

The ice shook beneath him, twisting Link's broken leg and drawing a shout of pain from him. The tremors only intensified, until the surface of the ice was bucking and heaving, and thesound of thousand-year-old ice shattering was all around them.

The Nameless had abandoned its battle with Ganondorf, and was now writhing wildly, shrieking in its death throes. The flames beneath them spiralled up, closer and closer, until they burst through the ice with a tremendous cacophony, a massive pillar of flame punching through the frozen surface and rocketing upwards, out of sight.

At the edge of this outpouring of power, Midna knelt in her circle, unmoving. _Her body can't handle this much magic!_ Link tried to cry out, to warn somebody, but he still lacked the breath to form words. _She'll kill herself. She IS killing herself!_

He reached out for her, vainly.

And then the fire stopped.

The flames simply vanished, leaving a massive crater in the ice with Midna stock-still at the edge of it. For a moment, everything was absolute silence- Midna at the lip if the crater. Link, prone on the ice. Navi, perched atop his shattered limb. Ganondorf, covered in blood and ichor, staring blankly. And the Nameless, frozen in its paroxysms of agony.

The golden light from below the ice faded, and the Nameless crumbled, dissolving into smoke that swirled above them like dark spirits in the mist. In the corner of his mind Link could feel thousands of tormented souls screaming in those wisps of shadow.

As he watched the smoke solidified, swirling faster and faster until it was a whirlpool of blackness. The whirlpool was centred over Midna, he saw.

A hundred black tendrils shot downward, piercing into her limp body with the horrifying sound of snapping bones and tearing flesh. Midna heaved herself forward and clapped her hands to her mouth as some foul black substance began to pour forth from it.

Her body spasmed in pain, and the blackness issued forth from between her fingers and now, Link saw, from her every orifice- her nose, her eyes, her ears. Still, plumes of darkness swirled down into her, and in moments Midna was no longer visible as anything more than a long-limbed figure enveloped in roiling shadows. Then she collapsed and that, too, was indistinguishable.

"Ganondorf." he croaked.

The Gerudo had sank to his knees, exhausted. He now lifted his head towards Link. "What is it? Ah- you're hurt-"

"It's not important... look. There." He pointed.

In the bottom of the crater that Midna's spell had created, something was glowing with supernatural brightness. It was a tiny golden object, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

Ganondorf paled. "I cannot. I cannot take it."

"Do it," Link said. "I believe in you, now. I trust you."

"I... no... please do not place this burden upon me. I am not fit to carry it."

"Do it!" he growled. "Hurry!"

"But, I..." He saw hesitation flicker across Ganondorf's face, and linger there. Then, resolution. "Perhaps... perhaps this is the Gods' will, then." He made to pull himself to his feet.

There was a sudden movement at the edge of the pit. The black form that was Midna lurched forward, and toppled down into the crater and out of sight.

"Wait-" Navi said.

There was an eruption of light and noise, and the Triforce on the back of Link's had seared with such pain that for a moment the agony in his leg was forgotten. And then in an instant it was over, and the world descended back into silence.

"What happened?" Navi asked. "What did she do? Link? What happened?"

Ganondorf's face was ashen. "Midna?" he called out.

He shared a worried glance with Link. Then he came over to where Link lay, hoisted him up off the ice, and together they both limped over to the edge of the pit.

The ethereal glow had vanished completely. Midna lay at the bottom of the crater, motionless beneath her cloak. As they watched, she stirred. The beaten cloth of her cloak fell away as she stood- no, _floated._

Her childlike form seemed to absorb the light around her, radiating darkness, and her hair was incandescent beneath the heavy stone helm that sat atop her head. With a look of disbelief she raised one of her hands in front of her eyes, turning it back and forth, examining it.

What she saw pleased her, and she smiled savagely.

On the back of Midna's palm, the three golden triangles of the Triforce burned brightly.


	30. Chapter 30

30

Treason and Tremors. Preparing for War. Hyrule's Last Day.

* * *

He found the Commandant sitting on a bench in the castle gardens, staring absentmindedly up at the darkened sky.

"Viscen," he said, quietly, by way of greeting.

"Vaati." Viscen did not turn to look at him, but instead continued to gaze upwards at the enchantment sealing the city. "You have news?"

The wind mage glanced back and forth, searching for potential eavesdroppers. But they were alone, and the only sounds were the droning of insects and the gentle burbling of a nearby fountain. "Cole had some slums in the south end ransacked a few hours ago. There was fighting. Fourteen or fifteen people died."

Viscen sighed. "What the hell did he go and do a stupid thing like that for?"

"I guess there was an inn there- the place where Ingo got killed? He thought he might find the Gerudo hiding there."

Leaning forward, Viscen ran his hands through his silvery hair. "Damned idiot. What did Zelda do about it?"

"Nothing. Of course." The Princess Zelda had not been seen for three days now. She had retreated to her expansive private quarters in the highest reaches of the castle and left instructions that she was not to be disturbed.

"Of course." Viscen echoed. He thought on the news for a few moments. "This makes me nervous."

"Every time idiots like Cole spill blood, it pushes a few more people over the edge, driving them to join causes like ours," Vaati said. "It plays right into our hands."

"And that's precisely why it makes me nervous. It's too convenient."

He mentally cursed the old soldier's stubbornness. "You're worrying over nothing," Vaati said, sounding more confident than he felt, "she doesn't care about us, and she doesn't care about this city. What Cole did isn't any sort of gamesmanship by Zelda, it's just a stupid man doing a stupid thing."

Belatedly, he realized that he had been speaking a bit too loudly. Cursing, he floated up high enough to peer over the surrounding hedges. They were still alone.

He seemed to have convinced Viscen. "Let's talk numbers, then."

Vaati grinned. "Yes, let's. I have my personal retinue of guardsmen, or course-"

"What's that, twenty men?" Viscen was not impressed.

"Thirty," he said defensively. "Well-trained in magic, and absolutely loyal to me. Although the Goron and Rito chieftains both support our cause privately, they are reluctant to engage in an open act of treason.

"They are good men," Viscen said. "I can't blame them for doing right by their people. As for me, I can't be certain how many of my men will remain loyal to Zelda, and how many will betray her for me. There are some soldiers that I'm certain will side with us..."

"And?" Vaati asked.

"Maybe forty. Twenty-five, thirty at least. Forty at the most." With a tired grunt he lifted himself off of the bench, twisting his back and causing the joints to crack audibly. "So between you and me that's, what... Seventy people?"

Vaati nodded. "Seventy people. Against the entire standing army of Hyrule and the single most powerful sorceress the world has ever known."

Viscen patted Vaati's shoulder consolingly. "As long as we're planning suicide, let's go get some dinner. My private chef makes quite an excellent braised lamb shoulder; you could really do a lot worse for your last meal."

"Don't tell me you're giving up. This is the single greatest chance that we'll ever have."

"This is Hyrule's darkest hour!" Viscen didn't say '_literally,_' but both of them thought it.

"Exactly, and this is when the hearts and minds of Hyrule's people will be aligned with us more than ever. Any revolution is a thing of momentum. We need to make a stand first, and when people believe that there is finally a chance to bring change to this city, then they will join us."

"You and I," Viscen said, "We don't stand a chance. But _they_ do. Ganondorf, and Link."

They started walking back towards the castle. "So we wait on them, then."

"It seems the most prudent course of action." Viscen walked in silence for a moment before continuing. "We must wait, until our betrayal will have the greatest impact on the battle. We will likely be expected to hold the walls surrounding the castle grounds. If we spring our trap at the right time and allow the rebels inside the walls, the element of surprise may create enough of an advantage that the defenders will be entirely overwhelmed."

"We must wait, though. There's no way for us to communicate with Ganondorf, and his plan of battle may differ from our expectations."

"Again, we must choose the moment when we can strike the hardest. Who knows when that chance will present itself?"

Vaati cursed under his breath. The two of them planned to overthrow Zelda's regime but, really, what could they accomplish on their own? He and Viscen were opportunists, reduced to waiting on the actions of others more powerful than them.

"Braised lamb, you said?"

"With rosemary, garlic, and leeks. A favourite indulgence of mine." Viscen held the door open, and the two of them stepped inside

"I was more in the mood for rabbit myself."

It was moments later, as they were strolling down one of the castle's luxuriously appointed corridors when it happened.

The floor beneath their feet heaved upwards suddenly, and then just as quickly skewed wildly to the side, sending statues and vases toppling and dislodging paintings from their hangings.

"What-"

Vaati, always light on his feet, managed to remain standing, at least until Viscen toppled into him, knocking them both to the floor.

"What is this?" Vaati shouted.

"By the Gods," Viscen scrambled to regain his footing, pitching forward once more as the floor continued to shake wildly. "The entire city is shaking!"

The tremors seemed to be intensifying, if anything, and from somewhere close by came the deep rumbling cracks of fracturing masonry.

"Get out, get outside!"

Vaati didn't need to be told twice, forsaking the ground altogether and flying through the violently bucking halls. Viscen stumbled along after him.

He shot out of the door into the gardens, and as soon as he was outside he craned his neck to look at the enchantment that sealed the city. "Oh my," he said.

Sunlight bled through several visible cracks in the magical wall, and as they watched, more and more fractures formed. The quaking beneath their feet increased in intensity, and there was an slow rumbling crash as one of Hyrule Castle's towers collapsed in an explosion of mortar and dust.

All around them, more people were pouring out of the castle, panicking and looking at the sky. Similar sounds of chaos echoed up from the city below, but the noises of terror and of collapsing buildings were drowned out by the sound of Zelda's enchantment finally breaking completely.

It came apart like a great pane of glass shattering- the cracks of light raced across the magical barrier, widening and weaving together like an enormous spiderweb, until there was finally such an explosion of light and noise that Vaati was compelled to clap his hands over his ears and avert his eyes.

The noise faded, but the light remained, the entire castle ground illuminated as if-

As if it was sunlight.

Day had come to Hyrule once more.

Wide-eyed, Viscen glanced down at Vaati. "I suppose you'd better go and make certain your thirty men are armed and at the ready."

"Yes." He was in a daze. The detection of magic was a sixth sense to Vaati, and right now it was like he had been blinded. Never before had he felt such an uncontrolled outpouring of power. "Yes, I suppose I should."

"Vaati," Viscen said, "Go. Now."

"Hm?" He snapped out of his reverie, suddenly realizing the opportunity that they had just been handed, and he became dead serious. "I'll be ready. We must strike decisively- we won't get a second chance."

"Good luck."

"Same to you."

There was no time to waste. The two conspirators took off in opposite directions, one gliding and the other striding with determined speed across the carefully manicured lawn, now strewn with rubble and populated with dazed onlookers all staring confusedly at the noonday sun.

* * *

Her eyelids fluttered open, and the room slowly came into focus.

With surprise, Zelda realized that she was lying face down on the floor of her study. The last thing she remembered was for an instant feeling the Triforce on the back of her hand suddenly go cold, as though her arm had been plunged into ice water. Then everything had gone black.

Looking around, she realized that her study was a disaster. Two of her bookshelves had toppled over, the floor was strewn with broken glass and loose sheets of paper, and her writing desk had splintered and cracked down the middle. The air was filled with dust, which floated about in the sunlight that shone through the shattered windows.

Her breath caught in her throat. _Sunlight!_

Hurriedly, she climbed to her feet and rushed out onto the balcony. The sun hung in the sky, and there was no trace of the barrier that had encircled all of Hyrule only an hour ago. The enchantment that she had cast had been broken, the city was no longer sealed.

A strange emotion welled up inside her. Her guardian had failed to protect her reliquary. She had lost control of the spell woven within the very foundations of the city. None of this was supposed to happen.

For the first time in centuries, she was no longer the omnipotent ruler of the sprawling city below her. She could no longer feel its heartbeat, pulsing within her in lieu of her own stilled blood. She was blind, isolated atop a cold tower.

As she gazed, uncomprehending, at the defiant sun, Zelda presently became aware of several new sensations. Her heart had begun beating beneath her chest once more, warm blood rushing through her veins and colouring her cheeks and hands as the cold wind bit at them.

She turned her hand over. The Triforce had vanished from the back of her palm.

Turning away from the daylight, Zelda went back inside, back to her study. She wrenched one of the drawers on her splintered desk open and rifled through it, seizing a letter opener.

As she clutched it in her hand, Zelda was mildly surprised to find out that her arms were trembling slightly. Stilling herself, she calmly pressed the blade of the letter opener down against her open palm, slicing the skin open and tracing a line across the pale flesh.

For a moment, the cut remained as a thin white line across her hand, but then blood welled up in the incision and spilled out across her palm, incandescent scarlet against the pallor of her skin.

Her hand began to tingle oddly, a feeling that at first confused her. But then she opened and closed her fist and the tingling became a sharp searing burst and she remembered- this was pain.

The wound did not heal, not until she consciously knit the skin together with a burst of magic, her hand glowing faintly. Still, the blood remained pooled on the surface of her palm.

Zelda hurried from her quarters and began the descent downwards towards the castle proper. There was work to be done, and after eons of waiting, time was suddenly growing short.

* * *

"Set him down, set him down here."

"Here? You sure? I can carry us all the way to the top, it's no problem-"

"No, we've waited long enough."

The tendrils of shadow that were holding Link aloft gently lowered him until he was lying on the staircase. His broken leg was jostled slightly, and his vision darkened with the pain.

Ganondorf knelt and began to undo the torn strips of cloth binding the wound, which were made from the remnants of Midna's old clothes. She had no need for them any more.

After their defeat of the Nameless and her seizing the Triforce of Wisdom, Midna had reverted to her old, diminutive shape. Instead of clothing she once more was garbed in a film of shadow, and the heavy stone helm of her reliquary sat once more upon her head.

And, as was her wish, she had been visited with enormous power, which far surpassed any might she had previously known. It had been a mere trifle for her to envelop both Ganondorf and Link in plumes of shadow and bear them upwards, towards Hyrule. They had been making good time until Ganondorf had told her to stop.

She looked down at them with one wide yellow eye. "What are you doing?" She asked, "We need to get back up into the city."

"We need to do something about Link's leg, and soon," Ganondorf said. "The tourniquet I rigged is just a temporary solution. Now that we're away from that foul place, we can set him down and have a good look at it."

But when Ganondorf peeled away the last of the blood-soaked cloth and examined the wound in detail, his brow furrowed and a very grim look came over his face.

Link sat up as best he could. "What? What is it?"

He came straight to the point. "The bone has been shattered completely. Without powerful magical intervention, it will never fully heal. You'll be crippled for the rest of your life."

"But we have powerful magic," Midna said. "Between the three of us, we have the entire Triforce! We have to be able to do something." She thrust her hand forward as if to prove her point, displaying the stolen piece of the Triforce that glowed there.

Ganondorf recoiled from the shining symbol as though it disgusted him, but he nodded. "It is true that exceptionally skilled magic users may draw upon sources of great power and heal their wounds. I am a powerful mage. So is Zelda. And so are you, Midna. Link, you are not."

"But I've used magic before," he said. "In... in past lives, I have. I remember it."

"Exactly. In the past you were able to consciously use the Triforce of courage, and fight through wounds that would have otherwise been mortal. If you can remember how to do it, one more time..."

Link closed his eyes and tried to recall how it had felt to use the magic of the Triforce. But the sickening pain in his leg clouded his thoughts, and the memories of his past lives swam hazily beneath his lidded eyes. "I... can't. I can't remember. It's like- it's almost there. At the edge of my vision."

"I have an idea," Ganondorf said. He looked up. "Navi?"

The fairy swooped down and landed on his hand. "What is it?"

"You're going to try to heal Link one more time."

"But he's hurt too badly, I don't have enough magic to-"

"Don't use your magic. Use his. The Triforce has power enough to heal this wound. If, together, we can awaken that power, he may yet be saved. Midna and I will try to draw the magic from inside him, and you must start the healing process using that magic. Ready?"

"What happens if this doesn't work?" Midna asked.

Link answered her. "Then you leave me here. I'm only slowing you down- you have to leave me."

"That was the plan," Ganondorf said grimly. "Let's do this."

Ganondorf knelt down and gestured for Midna to float closer. The two of them both set one of their hands on top of Link's, with one third of the Triforce glowing brightly on each of them.

Link closed his eyes.

He could sense the Triforce within him now, more clearly than ever before. The presence of Power and Wisdom, inside of Ganondorf and Midna, was a tangible thing, something that he could reach out and touch with a mere thought.

He did so. The power of the completed relic flowed between the three of them, seeking to finally be made whole again. Visions swam in front of his eyes, visions of what he could do with the might of the Triforce at his disposal, and he was sure that Ganondorf and Midna were seeing the same things.

The thought of so much power terrified him. Ganondorf was right, he knew- nobody could ever be trusted with it.

So distracted was he that he almost failed to notice that magic was being drawn from him, and that the pain in his leg had vanished.

Link opened his eyes, and stood, throwing aside Ganondorf's and Midna's hands. "What was that?" he gasped. He looked at Navi. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she said. "Or, almost nothing. I just tried to heal you the way I always do- and then there was suddenly so much magic- It wasn't mine, it was yours!"

"But a fraction of the power that is contained within the Triforce," Ganondorf said, pulling Link to his feet. Link was surprised to find that he didn't need the help, as his leg was as string as it had ever been. He breathed deeply and found that his fractured ribs had been healed flawlessly, as well.

Midna was laughing. "Amazing," she said. "Absolutely amazing. We can do anything, the three of us."

"No," Ganondorf said. "No, we cannot. It makes me uneasy to even have the three pieces of the Triforce this close together. It works to Zelda's advantage."

"Not while we hold them and she doesn't," Midna countered. "We have to use this power against her!"

"I will not see the Triforce assembled. It is too dangerous."

"How can she take them from us? Her spell is broken! She is powerless now!"

Link did some light stretches, beginning to work out the stiffness in his magically healed leg. "Don't underestimate her. Power isn't everything."

"Indeed," Ganondorf said, "Zelda has been preparing for this moment for thousands of years. Triforce or no, she is a foe to be reckoned with."

Midna did not argue further. Instead she arched her back and cracked her tiny knuckles. "Well, we've wasted enough time. You guys ready?"

Link and Ganondorf shared an apprehensive glance. "I suppose," Link answered her.

"Good."

Midna raised her hand and snapped her fingers. For a brief second, the Triforce shone brightly there- before her diminutive form was engulfed completely in darkness as the shadowy form of the Nameless swept over her.

She'd already carried them halfway up the enormous stone staircase, and in only a few more hours she could have them back up into the city proper. Midna had become truly powerful, and the amount of magic that she was now able to command was fearsome indeed.

As black tendrils of shadow crept around Link's torso and lifted him into the air, he was visited with the same sensation of horror that he had felt when fighting the monster that Zelda had created. He sensed the same agony within this magic; the pain of a thousand souls crying out in perpetual terror.

Midna hadn't killed the Nameless. She had taken control of it, and somehow absorbed it into herself. The notion was... worrying.

But they had more pressing problems. Once Zelda had been dealt with, then Link and Ganondorf would confront this new issue.

* * *

_Does she know?_

The question gnawed at him, growing inside the back of his mind until he could no longer hear anything that Zelda was saying.

It took every last bit of Vaati's willpower to not glance at Viscen. Thus far, Zelda had shown no indication that she was aware of their imminent betrayal, but Vaati knew that she was smart, and that she would figure it out if either of them made even the slightest slip.

The princess had summoned her most influential retainers to a war council in one of her audience chambers high above the city. The two traitors had had no choice but to attend, and hope that their treason had yet to be noticed.

"Their forces will be small, at first, but should they achieve any measure of success we can expect them to grow exponentially," Viscen was saying. "The rebels must be slaughtered, and quickly, or we could have a city-wide war on our hands."

Zelda stood at the centre of the audience chamber. She was clad in only a simple white shift, and as she spoke two small servant girls scurried about her form, setting two gleaming silver boots at her feet, which she stepped into. "You must draw the conflict out as long as possible, Commandant."

Viscen blinked dumbfoundedly. "But, your Highness-"

"Mount a token defence at the gates on the High Street. Hold the invaders off there for as long as you can without killing too many of them, and then abandon the gate and fall back into the castle grounds."

Vaati's immediate impulse was to run away. Zelda had just repeated to them the very plan they had drawn up mere hours ago. Against his every instinct, he remained still and kept his face dispassionate. "Princess, if I may offer my opinion...?"

"Nobody cares about your opinion, you little wretch," Veran spat.

The two servant girls were now buckling greaves to Zelda's legs. She nodded coolly at Vaati, indicating for him to speak.

"Simply allowing the Gerudo into the castle grounds when they can be easily eliminated before that occurs is putting all of Hyrule at risk. I see no purpose to your plan. If you could perhaps explain your reasoning to us, then I'm certain that this decision will make a lot more sense."

Now it was Rusl who scolded him. "Your place is not to question her Highness' orders, but to follow them!"

"Shut your mouth, you old fool, you're not the Commandant any more. As an adviser, my place is to advise."

Rusl scowled and looked away.

"The Gerudo must have hope," Zelda said. "They must believe they have a chance of success. If the futility of their situation becomes apparent too soon, then one or more of their commanders may flee, and with my spell broken, there is nothing stopping them from leaving the city."

The remainder of the chausses were strapped to her legs, now, and Zelda raised her arms to slip a doublet over her head.

"Let them come to me. I will not have this chance again."

Viscen cleared his throat. "I assume that the people you are referring to are Link, Ganondorf, and-"

"Midna," Zant said in unison with the Commandant. It was the first word he had spoken since the council had begun.

"Yes. This is the most important element of the plan. These three must be allowed to slip past our defences and gain entry to the castle. They will seek me out, and-"

"NO!" Zant cried.

Zelda held her arms out so that her gauntlets could be slid onto her hands, and the vanguards strapped to her forearms.

"She must die! She must! She must! I must be the one to kill her, to burn her until not even a cinder remains! It must be so!"

She seemed to consider this for a long time, as the shining cuirass was buckled together over her torso, and the dark flowing cape was pinned to her shoulders. "Very well, then, Zant. You may have the honour of killing the Twilight Princess. But bring her body to me."

The picture of calmness, Zant bowed. "I thank you, your highness." But the sadistic glee was clearly audible in his voice.

She buckled her rapier to her waist personally, while the two attendants stood respectfully aside. As Zelda lowered the golden circlet of her royal office onto her brow, she spoke to all of them once more. "Victory is not assured. You all have your parts to play. Hold the castle, and as soon as Link and Ganondorf are inside, crush whatever resistance remains. These are your tasks- now prepare for battle."

And, dressed for war, Zelda swept out of the audience chamber, her indigo cape trailing behind her like the dark plumage of some terrible bird of prey.

It was only when she had gone that Vaati risked a glance at Viscen, and the unspoken question hovered between the two of them.

_What do we do now?_

But what was there to do? It was too late to do anything but proceed as planned.

* * *

See now, the city of Hyrule, a city that has been at war for centuries.

Long ago it was born, hewn from entire mountains and carved from whole forests, growing outwards until it occupied entirely the island upon which it sat and from there rising high into the sky and plunging down into the earth.

For generations, Hyrule has been a city mired in conflict between two great powers, the Princess Zelda and the Gerudo King Ganondorf. The war was taken many forms, and cost many lives, but always it has boiled down to the wills of the two blessed with the power of the gods.

So it went, for years upon years, until finally the third of their number arrived, and the balance of power shifted, and the ancient conflict began to move inevitably towards its end.

This is Hyrule, as the sun rises on the final day of this long and bloody struggle.

This is Hyrule, at the dawn of its final day.

See the traitors, Vaati and Viscen, waiting for the moment when their betrayal will become known. Waiting, until their turning will have the greatest influence on the tides of battle.

See the loyal man, Rusl, the broken and disgraced Commandant, as he dons his battleworn armour and prepares to shed blood once more, for the Princess.

See the madman, the vizier Zant, his mind a twisted maze of hatred and the remnants of what once might have been love. He is consumed now, and nothing but death with sate him.

See the Twilight Princess, Midna, the lonely girl who was too weak. She has power now, more than she knows what to do with, and there has long been darkness in her heart.

And see now the three.

The Princess Zelda, sequestered as she has always been, high in her cold towers. Armoured and ready for battle, she paces back and forth in a room that she long ago set aside for this purpose. Magic flows from her fingers as she traces the designs of one final spell, the one that she has spent lifetimes perfecting. Hyrule may be dark to her, now, but she is far from powerless.

The Gerudo King, Ganondorf, who stands pontificating atop the bridge in the Market District, his voice thundering even above the cheers of his remaining Gerudo. Those sparse few soldiers are now joined by a growing flood of discontent citizens who have at last seen a chance to rise up, and strike back against the regime that has oppressed them for so long. Ganondorf raises his sword high in the air, and as first rays of the dawn gleam against its blade, a thousand others are also thrust skyward.

The Hero, Link, watching in quiet contemplation as he prepares himself for the bloodshed that must now come. This is a joyless, hollow sort of anticipation, one that he has undertaken a thousand times in a thousand different lives. He watches the furor in the Market District, raises his gaze to touch briefly upon the highest parapets of the towers far above him, and then lowers his head, savouring the last moments of peace before the storm.

The light of the sun shines on Ganondor's blade for one more second, before the grey skies above swallow even that sparse brightness. In the distance, the skies are dark and a chill wind blows, bringing with it the promise of rain.

* * *

This chapter gave me a lot of trouble, as it is necessarily all over the place- we visit pretty much every major character and storyline, setting the stage for the conclusion of _Sacred Reliquary_. It was important for me to condense all of this exposition into one chapter for the sake of pacing, as I'm sure at this point everybody's looking forward to the imminent ending. And it is going to be good. Expect three or four more chapters, and an epilogue.


	31. Chapter 31

This chapter and the two that follow went through many, many drafts before I felt that they could be published, and together they comprise the ending of _Sacred Reliquary_. I will not be providing any more commentary or author's notes until the epilogue, so I'm going to say what I want to say here.

Before you read, be warned: you may not like how this story ends. But I've known what the ending was going to be from the very beginning, before I even wrote the first sentence of the first chapter more than three years ago, and although I often thought about changing what happened I always knew that it would finish like this. It's been a long time coming, and I want to thank every one of you for taking the time to stick with this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Not all happy endings are good ones and not all good endings are happy. Perhaps there is some peace to be found at the end of this tale, but always remember that it is but one of many that make up the Legend of Zelda.

* * *

31

The Gate Falls. Ganondorf Comes to Hyrule Castle. The Apotheosis of Princess Zelda.

* * *

The lines did not shine with the brilliant luminosity of old.

In the past, the runes and circles she'd traced had always shone brightly even before the design was completed. The gentle strokes of her fingers had left behind them blazing swoops and whirls of light, thrumming with the power of the entire city of Hyrule- a city she had built with the single-minded purpose of compounding that power upon itself, again and again until she at last had the vast reserves of magic that she needed.

Her great battery was silent, now, deprived of the spark that would have been the genesis of the massive chain reaction. Deprived of the Triforce.

Hence the reason for her current work. Zelda drew new designs on the wide floor of the vast circular chamber. She could not draw with the light, anymore, but she could etch the runes into the marble floor with bursts of magic. For she still had magic within her, and even without her piece of the Triforce she was terribly powerful.

A gust of wind caught the deep purple cloth of her cape, and her armour clinked softly as she closed the circle and so finished the first point of her design. A circle just wide enough for a man to stand in, gilt with words of power invoking the blessing of Courage. Link would stand here. Now she had to add the circles for her and Ganondorf.

This room had been built, centuries ago, for the explicit purpose of being used for the ceremony. It was not at the top of Hyrule's tallest tower, but rather its strongest and most prominent, and every day the banners of her rule hung from the balcony that ringed its circumference. There were no walls. The high ceiling was supported by thick pillars of stone that provided little shelter against the wind and the cold.

It was no coincidence that this tower lay over the exact centre of the city of Hyrule.

Many fathoms below was the place where the Triforce of Wisdom had once rested, but the heart of the enchantment had been destroyed and so the city was dark to her. No matter. The framework for the great sorcery remained, and she could easily create a new heart, one that was fuelled by all three pieces of the mighty relic.

As she bent back to her work, a sudden noise drifted up towards her from the city below, a deep echoing boom that seemed to make the foundations of the castle shake ever so slightly. The sound reverberated through the cold air and off the spires and stone walls of Hyrule castle before fading into silence.

And, slowly, other faint noises began to fill that absence. The sounds of screams, of shouts of agony and of rage, and of metal on metal. Far below her, the battle had begun.

She began to work a bit faster.

* * *

Ashei's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Whatever she had said was utterly drowned out by the ringing in Link's ears that seemed to vibrate through his entire skull.

"_WHAT?" _He was shouting, he knew, but although he could feel the strain of it in his throat he could not hear his own words.

Ashei gestured for him to follow her, and together they ran, keeping as low as they could, through the smoky chaos that was the shattered High Street. As Link's hearing gradually came back to him, the sounds of battle began to penetrate the haze of white noise.

Ashei led him to a partially collapsed house, and together they ducked inside. Ganondorf was crouched just inside the doorway. His lips and teeth were stained red and he was holding a handkerchief daubed with blood to his mouth.

"Link! You're alive!"

"I'm fine. What happened to you?"

"Hm?" Ganondorf seemed to see the bloody piece of cloth for the same time. "Oh, this is nothing. When the explosion happened I bit my tongue."

"Hey, you guys having trouble hearing?" Ashei asked.

They'd brought two kegs of Goron mining powder to blow the castle gates open. The explosive was extremely volatile, but more than powerful enough to blast a hole in the wall surrounding Hyrule castle if placed properly.

The Goron Darmani had managed to place the barrels properly, although many lives had been lost defending him from the assault raining down from atop the battlements. But something had gone wrong, and the powder had detonated before they could retreat to a safe distance. Link thought it very likely that Darmani was dead, and a great many of their comrades besides.

"The explosives worked," Ganondorf said. "There's a hole in that wall large enough for ten men to walk through abreast. But Zelda's forces still defend the entrance to the castle grounds, and the remainder of our forces are pinned down in these houses."

"Where's Midna?" Link asked.

The look of Ganondorf's face was one of worry. "I don't know. She carries a piece of the Triforce now, so I believe we would be able to feel it if she died-"

"What if she does die? What happens to the Triforce then?"

"That is... uncertain. But I believe its power would return to Zelda. She is its true master."

Together they sidled up to a blasted-out window and peered out. The High Street was strewn with rubble and corpses, and any Gerudo who still lived had taken shelter, either inside the houses that still stood or in side streets and alleyways. Link spotted Groose, the burly youth from Telma's, holding an enormous longbow and crouching next to two Zoras armed with pikes.

The lull was broken by a woman's voice- the sorceress Veran- ringing clearly through the air. "And where are the leaders of this pitiful uprising? Cowering like rats trapped in a hole? Come and give yourself up! Surrender now, and we'll give all of you the mercy of a quick death!"

Link turned to Ganondorf. "Got a plan?"

"Not really. Whole day kind of went to hell when those barrels exploded at the wrong time."

"Well, you've got maybe two minutes to come up with one."

"That should be plenty."

He stood up. "Don't let me die out there."

Ashei's eyes widened. "Wait! What are you-"

Link stepped out into the High Street, raising his hands high above his head. "I surrender!" He yelled. "I command the Gerudo, and on behalf of all who swore service to me I offer my surrender."

"I know what Ganondorf looks like, idiot, and you're not him." Veran said. She was standing in the centre of the street, at the lip of the enormous crater that had been carved out by the explosion. There were soldiers fanned out beside her, and archers atop the parts of the wall that still stood. "But I know who you are. You're Link. And her Highness is very interested in you."

She raised her hand, and in an instant every one of the men lining the walls had nocked arrows, drawn back their bowstrings, and were awaiting the word to fire. Link quickly began to count the men aiming at him, but gave up when he reached fifty.

"Ganondorf is dead. I lead in his stead. Will you not at least take me to Princess Zelda so that we may negotiate?"

She smiled. "Negotiate? What's there to negotiate? Didn't I just say that the only reward for surrender is a quick death? Archers, you may kill this man."

There was the twang of many bowstrings, and death came hissing towards him through the air. He barely had time to blink, however, before the air in front of him caught fire, and the volley of arrows was utterly incinerated in a roiling wall of flame that had sprung from nowhere.

As he threw up his arms to shield his face from the heat of the flames, the fire coalesced and poured forth down the High Street, bearing down on Veran and the soldiers defending the gate with terrible speed.

Wave upon wave of flame crashed down upon the sorceress, until she was completely hidden from view by the inferno that had engulfed her, burning with such a fierce intensity that the very stones of the High Street had begun to melt.

"D'you think that killed her?" Midna said, from where she had appeared at Link's side. Her brow was beaded from the concentration of summoning such a massive amount of fire and her miniature feet were planted firmly in midair as though she were setting herself against some great weight.

"Don't bet on it," Ganondorf stood next to him on the opposite side. He, too, was working magic, carefully directing the powerful flames that Midna was conjuring. "Be ready."

Suddenly, pieces of molten cobblestone lifted up from the ground and were flung through the air, straight at them. Midna was forced to raise one hand to shield herself, and the torrent of fire ceased.

"CHARGE!" Ganondorf bellowed, and all around them Gerudo poured forth from their hiding places, screaming battle cries and sprinting towards the ruined gate.

Link, too, was shouting as he ran, right beside Ganondorf at the very head of the charge. Arrows whizzed by his head, striking his comrades down, and Veran was throwing as much magic as she could at the charge, but they were too close and too many to be stopped.

The battle was joined in a tremendous cataclysm of metal and blood, and within seconds Link's world had descended into total chaos. He batted aside spear and axe, thrusting and parrying with the Master Sword, hewing a path through the ranks of soldiers towards the sorceress.

She saw him, and smiled. Lightning sprung from her fingers and arced its way towards him, the air sizzling with the heat of it. He caught the magic with his sword and turned it aside, and the first hints of panic grew in Veran's eyes as he deflected bolt after bolt of her magic and drew nearer still.

Then he was upon her, and it was all that Veran could do now to parry his own attacks, meeting them with magic barriers that she conjured out of nowhere. She lunged forward, inside the reach of his sword, and her hand crackled with deadly power once again.

Link batted her arm away with his shield, and she caught the hand holding his sword and forced it upwards, and for a moment they both struggled, desperate to get free and strike the killing blow that was sure to come-

Veran gasped oddly, and looked down at the blade that was suddenly protruding from her stomach.

She let go of Link, and the magic died upon her fingers. Her hands went to clutch at the wound, and her clothing was already dark with blood. "How...?"

Viscen drew his sword out of Veran's back, and the sorceress fell to her knees, twisting backwards in an attempt to get a glimpse of her attacker.

"You..." She said, seeing him. "I knew... traitor..."

"Be quiet." He stabbed once more. Veran made a pained, breathless sound, fell forward, and moved no more.

"So you've finally picked a side." Link noted.

Viscen stepped away from the body of the sorceress. "I've only ever been on one side, Link. Yours." He raised his sword high into the air and shouted. "HOLD THE GATE! RALLY TO ME, AND HOLD THE GATE!"

All around them, the battlefield had degenerated even further into madness, as some of the Hylian soldiers turned on each other and others began to fight back with a renewed vigour. Link saw Midna floating high above the melee, picking targets and throwing fireballs, and Ashei and Groose fighting back-to-back. Of Ganondorf, there was no sign.

"TO ME, TO ME!" Viscen shouted still. Many of the soldiers were turning on their former comrades, and the surviving members of the Gerudo had realized what was happening. Spurred on by their sudden change in fortune, they pushed forward through the mob towards the place where Viscen and Link stood at the breach in the wall.

They were inside the gate now, and all across the castle gardens makeshoft barriers of wood and stone had been constructed and manned by pikemen and archers.

"To the barricades!" Link bellowed. "Take the barricades!"

"FORWARD!" Viscen brought his sword slicing down, signaling a charge. "FOR HYRULE!"

Together they pressed forward, Link and Viscen, fighting side by side and leading the charge into the castle grounds. Disoriented and demoralized, Zelda's soldiers fled or were slaughtered as the tide of invading warriors swept over them.

From behind the ranks of Hylian soldiers there now came flashes of magic, and renewed cries of rage and pain. More of Zelda's men had turned, and what order there had been in the defenders was now completely and utterly disrupted.

"Our path is clear!" Viscen said. "The gate and the south terrace are ours for the taking! Vaati has opened the way for us!"

"Vaati?" Link looked about and, sure enough, he was soon able to spot the wind mage. Vaati floated at the centre of a maelstrom of wind and lightning, and any man in his path was lifted up into the air and thrown down again upon his comrades.

The Gerudo's push, combined with Vaati's timely appearance, had allowed them to establish a firm foothold inside the castle walls. Zelda's troops had lost all semblance of command, and were falling back and yielding the main gate.

"We have a little bit of time before they regroup. Maybe ten minutes, maybe half an hour." Viscen was breathing heavily, and his hair was soaked with sweat.

"You and Vaati timed your betrayal well," Link said. "If we fall back now, we can easily hold the main gate until nightfall. But we'll need enough time to properly construct a barricade and establish position atop the walls."

"That could take two hours- or more." Viscen tore a strip off cloth off of a dead man's trousers and began to wipe the blood from his sword.

"Then we'll have to buy that time."

"No," Vaati said.

"What?"

Viscen's face was grim. "Zelda's got some plot cooked up, and she's ordered her men to hold the castle for as long as possible. Whatever she's planning, we can't give her the time she needs. You need to get inside that castle, and you need to get there now."

Link looked around at what remained of the Gerudo forces. It was under two thousand men, easily, and many of those were wounded or poorly armed. With the reinforcements brought by Viscen and Vaati's betrayal, they had a fighting force of maybe twenty-five hundred, all told. "We'll never make it- we're wildly outnumbered-"

"We may never make it," Viscen said, "But you will. We can assault the main entrance on the southern side of the castle while you circle through the gardens and find another way in."

"Here's some good news, at least," Vaati said. "Look at that."

They turned to look down on the city below. Hyrule was burning, dark plumes of smoke rising high into the sky, and fires burning in many of the wealthier districts.

"The city is in open revolt," the vizier continued, "Zelda's hold on Hyrule is failing. If we win here today, our victory will be complete."

"Don't you see, none of it matters!" Viscen shouted. He was growing increasingly agitated. "The only thing that matters is that Zelda is captured or killed. Link, please listen to me. Zelda wanted the three of you separated. She wanted you to come to her individually. Whatever her plan is, it involves you, Ganondorf, and Midna, and-"

"And right now it is proceeding perfectly," Vaati interrupted him. "Ganondorf is gone."

Link whirled around, scanning the battlefield, and he quickly realized that Vaati was right. The hulking form of the Gerudo king was nowhere to be seen. He spotted Midna floating through the carnage with Navi sitting atop her helm, and he called the two of them over.

"Midna! Navi! We've got a problem."

"Ganondorf is gone," Midna finished for him. "Navi saw him last right after the charge. He fought his way through the front lines and made straight for the castle doors."

Navi wrung her hands desperately. "The last I saw of him he'd opened the doors and gone inside, all by himself. I'm really worried about him, Link, what are we going to do?"

Link sighed and slowly met the gaze of Midna, of Navi, of Viscen and Vaati. He noticed also that many of the men and women wearing Gerudo colours had clustered around the five of them, and that the rebellious Hylian soldiers were looking to him also.

They were waiting on his word, all of them. With Ganondorf gone, Link was now in command.

"We'll attack the southern walls. Viscen, Vaati, you two lead the assault. Navi, you stay with them- they'll need your healing magic much more than I will."

"But what are you going to do?" She asked.

"Midna and I are going into the castle. We'll find a way in through the gardens. We'll take a few men with us, maybe twenty, thirty, and fight our way as high up as we can. This fight won't end until Zelda is stopped, and we're the only ones who can do it."

Viscen grasped Link's hand and shook it. "So we're decided, then. Fight well, Link- we're all counting on you."

Meeting the old soldier's gaze, Link realized that Viscen was expecting to die that day. Despite everything, he felt a rush of gratitude towards the man, and he clasped the veteran's gauntleted hand tightly. "Fight well," he said.

"So, when are we doing this?" Midna asked.

"Right now," Link said. "Viscen, you're in command now. Form up and prepare to assault the southern walls. And I need volunteers- twenty of the best, to come with me and Midna."

Almost immediately, men and women began stepping forward. There was Ashei, and Groose, and Gorko, and a hundred other solemn faces- all willing to die for him.

"Good luck, you poor bastards," Vaati said, just loud enough for everyone present to hear.

* * *

Most men had the sense to step aside and let him pass. They turned in time to see who it was that approached their positions and blanched, letting their weapons fall to the ground and making way for the fury that bore down upon them.

Some were brave enough, or stupid enough, to stand and draw swords, or raise pikes, or bring their bows to bear. They were cut down, without thought, without effort, and without mercy. No barricade gave him pause, no door barred his way, and no man hindered his passing.

Ganondorf, imbued for the last time with the pure and driving sense of purpose that had consumed him for so many lifetimes, had come. Like something out of a nightmare he charged through the halls and passages of Hyrule Castle, his sword of light shining and his black armour resplendent upon his person.

Higher and higher he climbed, through the mazelike halls and corridors of Hyrule Castle, never once hesitating, but always moving up.

He came to the throne room, throwing the enormous doors open and crossing the threshold, and only then did the sight of men barring his way give Ganondorf pause.

"Step aside," he said.

"Good morning," Rusl said wearily, lifting himself up off of the steps that led up to the throne so that he could bow respectfully. "At least, I believe that it is morning, although after the misery of that long darkness, I cannot be sure."

Rusl was dressed once more in the full ceremonial armour that he had worn during his time as Commandant, and the gilded sword he bore was the very same one that he had wielded the night his son had died, scarcely two months ago.

Standing silently next to Rusl, in front of the Zelda's vacant chair, was Zant. As always, the vizier's face was completely obscured by the towering helm of stone that he wore, although Ganondorf knew that the mage was staring straight at him.

"If you are going to bar my way, then I will kill you both," Ganondorf said. It was not a threat, and it was not said in malice. It was a simple statement of fact.

"Do you want to kill us?" Rusl asked, genuinely curious.

"It doesn't matter to me either way. My business is with Zelda."

The two stared each other down in silence for a few moments more. When Ganondorf's hand moved towards his sword, Rusl raised his hands and stepped away from the dais, leaving a clear path to Zelda's private quarters behind. "As it so happens, Zelda's business is with you. She is waiting at at the top of the Tower of the Gods, which is at the very centre of Hyrule Castle. The stairway up is through her private quarters- I daresay you know how to get there."

Zant stepped silently away from the throne also. Slowly, Ganondorf nodded. "I suppose you two are here to entertain the other guests she will be expecting."

There was sad amusement in Rusl's voice. "Not entertain. Just delay. Go on- the Princess is waiting for you." He turned to Zant. "Go on, then. It's time."

Zant's towering helmet nodded once, and then the vizier silently glided away.

"Do you remember the oath you swore, years ago, that night we fought for the first time?" Rusl asked.

"That we would meet once again in battle."

Rusl smiled. "That's the one. It shames me greatly, but I am going to have to break that oath. Go on now- she's waiting for you. My destiny lies elsewhere."

And he walked right past Ganondorf, following the path that Zant had taken down to the battlefield below.

Ganondorf spared no more time thinking on Zant or Rusl. As he strode across the now-deserted hall and brushed past the throne and through the doors behind it, all of his thoughts were on Zelda. As he began the climb up the tower to where she was waiting, the ruthless determination that had carried him this far finally left him.

He took the stairs two, then three, then four at a time, his heart pounding in his chest and dread building in the pit of his stomach. He fought to calm himself, to contain the emotions that were roiling inside his chest and regain his discipline. Ganondorf could not remember ever feeling such anxiety. In his past lives, murder had always been a thing preceded by cold calculation, or by unfettered rage.

Never before had he felt like this. Never before had he been afraid.

Ganondorf reached the top of the stairs, and burst through the door there and into the open air at the top of the tower.

The wind was strong this high from the ground, and it swept thick flakes of snow in underneath the great stone roof, where they swirled and eddied about in the erratic air currents. Bright red banners bearing the sigil of Hyrule were hung on each of the pillars supporting the dome above and the sounds of fighting could be heard very distantly, drifting up to them from the battle below.

Zelda was standing at the far end of the tower's circumference, in a circle that was a part of a much larger design carved into the floor. There was a terrible beauty about her, clad in shining metal and with her long hair blowing freely in the frigid winds.

"Ganondorf," she said, when she saw him. "Will you let me speak?"

There was nothing she could say, he knew, that would explain the crimes she had committed. The person she had become.

"I will listen. Speak."

He thought he saw her sigh in relief.

"This is the true story of how this world was created."

"A long time ago, there were three gods." Her voice carried, echoed. "Tradition tells us that they were three sisters- Din, Farore, and Nayru- but in truth they were nameless, genderless, formless. Perfect. They existed in a state of infinite majesty as beings of pure power, in a place without time, or space, or shape. The void."

Ganondorf took a few cautious steps towards her. Something told him that here, at last, was the truth of the sickness that had consumed the woman that had once been his greatest friend.

"The gods drew forth some of that power from deep within themselves, and created the universe. They were something less than what they had once been, but now they were able to take physical form, and walk together in the worlds they had created."

He stepped closer still. When he set foot on one of the lines etched into the ground, the carving began to glow with a faint golden light that flowed through the circles and runes like a liquid, until the entire tracework shone.

"The next thing that they did was create man, and woman, and beast, and pour blood into their veins and blow breath into their lungs. Now their worlds teemed with life, but the gods themselves were something lesser still. To create life they sacrificed a portion of themselves, and although their power remained great, it was but a shadow of what it had once been."

She took a deep breath. Her voice had an earnestness to it that disturbed him deeply.

"The gods then gave a gift to their people. They drew upon the last ebbing of their power, and in doing so they forgot themselves and became as mortals are. They gave the world magic."

"Zelda-" Ganondorf began to speak, but was interrupted.

"Something remained, deep inside the flesh and blood forms that the gods had taken. Some tiny, tiny spark of their former power and glory remained, although none possessed the wisdom to see it for what it truly was. Until now."

"The Triforce is that spark, Ganondorf. We are gods- you, and Link, and I. Can you not see it? Can you not feel it burning within your heart, the desire to become perfect once again? We can do it, Ganondorf. We can become gods once again."

"I spent countless lifetimes trying to become a god," he said. "That is not a road you want to walk down."

"You were doomed to fail. You sought to raise yourself above us, to upset the balance of power. The three of us rise and fall together. Look!" She gestured towards her own feet, at the small circle in which she was standing.

"This spell will not work unless all three pieces of the Triforce are present. This circle where I stand is my place in the array- and when you and Link stand in your positions, then the spell that I have spent centuries weaving will be completed at last."

"And this spell- This is why you have built this city?"

"Yes. It is time for us to take back the gifts that we once gave."

"So if the Triforce is assembled here, then Hyrule will be destroyed?"

"Not destroyed. Made whole. From this tower the magic will spread, until the entire world is consumed in its light and we have regained our old power. Life, and magic, and matter will all be reunited again, through us, and we will know perfection again. It will work. It is meant to."

There was a moment of silence between them, when even the howling of the wind and the chaos of the battle below seemed muted. Ganondorf knelt and laid his hands on the shining lines etched into the ground, appreciating the mastery that had gone into crafting the most powerful magic that ever had, or ever would exist.

"Please, Ganondorf," she said, quietly. "I need you."

Zelda's plan would work. He could see that plainly. All of Hyrule was encompassed in those simple lines- the deepest frozen darkness, the mines glowing with heat, the crowded streets and markets, the lush gardens and the golden temples. All of it would be consumed, transmuted into the purest form of magic and refracted back into the place where they now stood.

But she underestimated him. And she hadn't told him the whole truth.

"You lied to me."

"I'm sorry?" She feigned confusion, but he knew her too well.

"The magic does not require three people. It only requires one."

Her face contorted briefly into rage, or hate, or some other emotion that she could not fully control. "All three pieces of the Triforce must be assembled for-"

"Exactly." He drew his sword. "Three pieces of the Triforce. Not three people. If one person holds the complete relic, then they can activate the spell that encompasses Hyrule by themselves, and gain all the power you just spoke of- and more."

Before Ganondorf could approach any further, Zelda's rapier was in her hand. "It's true. But I had hoped that it could be avoided. I had hoped that you and Link would co-operate."

"You're a fool," Ganondorf said. "You're a fool if you thought either of us would agree to this. Drop your sword."

She stepped to the side, and he turned to as not to present an opening. "But this is what you are," Zelda told him. "Why share power, when there is a chance that you could have it all for yourself! Well, I may ask the very same question- Why should I continue to offer you a chance for redemption, when you spurn me again and again. You're the same man you always were, Ganondorf! A thief and a coward."

"You were my friend once,"Ganondorf said. "You know this, and you know the pain that your words inflict. Stop this insanity, Zelda, please-"

She continued to circle him. "It is too late! The city burns, and the hour has come for Hyrule to fulfil its purpose. Give me the Triforce of Power, or I will kill you and take it!"

He shook his head sadly. "Then you are beyond all help I can give you, save death. So death it must be. But I regret it."

She lifted her sword into the air, and the blade burned with fire. "Come, then."

"I am sorry," he said. The Triforce burned within him, and he met her stare. It was cruel and pitiless, and it burned away the last shreds of doubt that he harboured within him.

Ganondorf raised his blade of light and stepped forward, his cold, ruthless sense of purpose renewed.

* * *

The entire city shook, briefly, and a vision of fire and lightning dancing between thick flakes of snow came to his eyes.

"Gods," Midna paled visibly. "What was that?"

Link craned his head skyward. High above them, the uppermost spires of the castle were wreathed in clouds. As he watched, the entire sky was briefly illuminated by a sharp burst of light, followed almost immediately by another tremor and a distant noise.

A light rain was beginning to fall.

"Is that a thunderstorm?" Groose wondered aloud.

"No," Link said. "It's Ganondorf. Come on, we need to hurry."

They had advanced slowly through the castle gardens, climbing into the upper terrace and circling around to the north side of the building. Viscen's assault on the castle's main entrance had succeeded drawing attention away from them, but the gardens and battlements were still riddled with guards.

Midna took care of each of them in turn, quietly and quickly. When her plumes of darkness enveloped a man he vanished, and did not reappear.

Link watched the faces of the thirty volunteers who had come with them. Each of them seemed ill at ease with the black magic that Midna was using to clear their path, but not one of them raised any objections.

So they kept moving, as the drizzle increased and a cold mist began to envelop the castle grounds.

"Alright," Ashei said, when they stopped to get their bearings, "We're maybe fifty metres from the northern walls. The three closest entrances to the castle are a service door used by the groundskeeping staff, the guards' barracks, and the delivery entrance to the castle kitchens."

"There's one more," Link said. "The temple of Nayru."

Ashei hesitated. "There is a long set of steps ascending to the doors of the temple. We'd be completely out in the open"

There was another ponderous boom from far above them, and this time Link could see the lightning and flame leaping and clashing amongst the distant towers.

"The temple will be the fastest way to the top. We'll go through the temple."

"You're the boss." Ashei's face was grim.

They remained low to the ground for as long as they could, creeping along the grass and using the fog for cover, But before long, they came to the staircase that led up to the Temple of Nayru- a wide, tall set of steps that worshippers climbed with their heads bowed, praying for wisdom. The entrance to the temple was an ornate facade of gold and white marble, with images of the goddess carved into the walls.

There was someone coming down the steps, and unnaturally tall figure who walked towards them with deliberate slowness.

From beside Link, there came a shocked gasp, and then the soft sound of contented laughter.

It was Zant coming down the stairs, and Link knew immediately that Midna was going to fight him alone.

"You run," Midna said. "All of you. Do not interfere."

"But-" Ashei said.

"Shut up. Leave." Midna's eyes did not flicker even for a second from the mage descending the steps. "This fight is mine."

"Let's go," Link ordered. "Midna... Don't do anything stupid."

But she was already beyond hearing him.

Link hurried towards the steps and began climbing, and Zant did not even bother glancing their way as the Gerudo rushed past him. There were castle guards atop the battlements and at the top of the stairs, but they too made no move to hinder any of the invading troops as they crossed the threshold of the temple and stepped inside Hyrule castle.

At the top of the stairs, Link turned and looked down at where Midna waited down below, standing motionless in midair as Zant descended the last few steps towards her. A hush fell over the gardens, as if nature itself was holding its breath.

The two stared at each other. They were speaking, but he could not hear the words.

"Link, we have to hurry!" Ashei urged him on, and with some reluctance he turned away, walking out of the rain and into Hyrule Castle. The doors boomed shut behind him, and the confrontation outside was hidden from his view.

The building shook once more with the tremors of battle far above, and this time those tremors were answered in kind from the gardens below as the entire castle rattled upon its foundations.

Link began to run.


	32. Chapter 32

32

The Fall of Hyrule. The Triforce of Power. Ganondorf's Greatest Victory.

* * *

Hyrule was dying.

For untold centuries it had been kept alive with Zelda's magic, its unnatural growth sustained by the power of the Triforce, and the black sickness at its heart long hidden away. But her enchantment had failed now, deprived of its power source, and the lifeblood of Hyrule flowed freely.

The entire city had been given over to violence and looting, as a citizenry long downtrodden was at last given the chance to exact vengeance on its oppressors. Nobles were dragged from their homes and slaughtered in the streets, or made to watch as their families were tortured and defiled. Soldiers abandoned their posts, joining in the chaos or banding together in last desperate stands, and all over Hyrule the streets ran slick and scarlet with spilled blood. Plumes of smoke rose high into the sky, like black banners that heralded news of death.

And on the very steps of Hyrule castle Viscen and Vaati led the last charge, a tide of Gerudo that now numbered more than five thousand as more and more of the city's vast population seized weapons long hidden and joined in the attack on the castle. The Gerudo were now steadily growing and relentless, buoyed by a righteous fury that overcame all fear. As the doors splintered and the walls crumbled they poured inside, driven by the fervour of imminent victory. Zelda's reign was ending, her kingdom collapsing.

But even as the last defenders of the entrance hall retreated and Viscen rallied his troops to him with cries of victory, the city trembled, and the sky went dark.

It was only for a moment, but they all felt it- from the castle gardens all the way down to the deepest slums. For that moment, all thoughts of bloodshed were put aside as the darkness gave way to blinding light, like a second sun burning above the city.

All eyes turned to Hyrule Castle, the source of that blinding light. High above the city, atop the Tower of the Gods where the banners of war blew in the snowy wind, the true fate of Hyrule was being decided.

And somewhere, deep inside the pit of their stomach, every single man and woman knew it. The violence continued and the blood still flowed, but underneath it all the city of Hyrule was holding its breath.

* * *

Everything had become light.

There was no wind. No sound. No pain. Only light.

The fury of Zelda's magic was unlike anything he had ever seen, a noiseless apocalypse that poured forth from her hands and enveloped him completely, threatening to tear his body apart and scatter his consciousness to the winds.

But his magic was strong, as well, and his will was even stronger. Ganondorf, his mouth open in a silent scream of agony, pushed back against the magic that was overwhelming his very thoughts, drawing upon the power of the Triforce more than he ever had before.

His silent scream became a long, thunderous bellow of rage as he broke through the spell, and Zelda's magic was shattered. The princess was thrown backwards like a ragdoll in a hurricane, and a cataclysm of light and noise washed over the spires of Hyrule Castle.

The building shook again, violently this time, and now many of the weakened towers began to give way, toppling to the ground in ponderous clouds of dust and stone.

Time seemed to move very slowly as Ganondorf charged across the tower towards Zelda. She stumbled to her feet and slashed viciously at the air with her rapier, and from the tip of her sword magic flowed.

Ganondorf batted the spells aside effortlessly, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds and forcing Zelda to meet his shining broadsword with her own blade. Again and again he swung, and again and again she parried, until in his ferocity he swung too hard and she dodged- dipping and spinning gracefully so that his blade passed harmlessly over her head and the momentum of his swing left him wide open.

Zelda reached out and gently laid a hand on his chest.

Lightning flowed from her and _into_ him, and he screamed as his insides burned. But even in his agony he knew to use his weight against her, diving forward and bringing his forehead crashing down into the bridge of her nose.

"Hkk." Zelda made a strangled sort of sound as her nose and orbital bones broke, and the flow of lightning ceased. She staggered backwards, face draped in red, the deadly point of her rapier flicking upwards to bat aside the swing that would have decapitated her.

Magic crackled over Zelda's face as her wounds healed themselves and her bones clicked back into place. Ganondorf also drew upon the Triforce to heal himself, but but the effort taxed him, he stepped backwards and broke off their combat, eyes wide.

"How?" he asked. "How are you doing this? Where are you getting this power?"

Her eyes were cold as she raised her sword once more and came towards him. "All magic comes from the power of the Triforce. From us. Did you really think that because you removed one aspect of this power, I would become impotent?"

The rapier flickered and darted in and out, trying to find a hole in his guard, but each time Ganondorf's sword was there.

He spun the greatsword suddenly, effortlessly. Though the sages' blade was enormous, as tall as Zelda herself, he wielded it expertly and with ease. The movement caught Zelda off guard and her sword clanged noisily against his in a shower of sparks. She was close to him, inside his reach, and he kicked low at her shin, crushing the greave and snapping the bone.

Zelda fell backwards, but twisted sideways and transferred her momentum smoothly into a leap upwards as soon as she hit the floor. She caught another blow of Ganondorf's, one that would have cut her in two. Though the greatsword was moving fast and with all of Ganondorf's strength behind it, she still managed to deflect it with her rapier, altering its motion with the most precise of touches.

Her leg began to heal, the magic burning even hotter than before. This time pain showed on Zelda's face, and she stumbled backwards. Her guard never dropped and she regained her balance almost immediately, before Ganondorf could take advantage of the misstep.

"Do you still not understand? I _am _the Triforce of Wisdom," Zelda said. "I am Nayru. I am Hyrule."

She pressed forward now, driving him back, her free arm settling behind her back in a classic fencer's stance. The blade in her hands was blindingly fast, biting at his arms, at his sides, at his legs.

"This city and every living thing in it are a part of me. I have spent a thousand years shaping Hyrule, binding it to my soul. Pouring my power into it. And now-"

Her free hand shot out from behind her back, and caught the blade of Ganondorf's sword. Her gauntlet shattered in a spray of blood and metal, but she held the sword firmly.

"I can take that power back." She stabbed him in the chest.

Ganondorf knew immediately that the Triforce would not heal this wound. He could feel a foul magic burning within the blade of Zelda's rapier, searing his flesh, boiling his blood. He opened his mouth to scream but could not draw breath.

She drew back her sword to stab him again. With an almighty effort Ganondorf threw himself forward, lunging through the air to drive his entire body into Zelda, sending both of them crashing to the floor.

She scrambled to draw herself to her feet, but he seized her legs and pulled her down again, swatting aside one last desperate swing of her rapier. She kicked at him savagely, her heavy steel boots crashing into his face, but he ignored the blows and pinned her to the ground.

"No, you- no-"

His hands wrapped around her throat, clenching with all of their strength. Through blurred vision he could see a look of alarm on her features, her blue eyes opened wide as they looked into his own.

He was dying. Ganondorf knew that. It was something he had done before, and had always feared as he feared nothing else. This time, the terror did not come, and his every thought was bent on taking Zelda into death with him.

He could do it. He was strong. He tightened his massive hands around Zelda's neck, so pale and slender, and slammed her head into the cold stone floor, again and again. He felt one of her hands wrench itself into his side, burning him with terrible magic, but still he did not let go.

Zelda's mouth worked soundlessly, her hair matted with blood and flung over her face in wild tangles, and now there was panic in her eyes, and rage. She thrashed about furiously underneath him, struggling in vain against his enormous weight.

He was shaking with effort, his mind overwhelmed with agony, but still he hung on, pressing down on her throat, hoping and praying that her skull would shatter, or that her spine would snap, and that she would-

Zelda's second hand managed to find its way between them, and press itself against the spot where she had stabbed him. She poured lightning into his wound, and finally the pain became too much, his vision went white, and his grip loosened.

She kicked him off of her and he crashed backwards. Ganondorf tried to lift himself to his feet, but found his muscles unresponsive and his limbs heavy. He lay there, staring at the snowflakes that still swirled above them, and watched the steam of his last breaths being swept away by the cold wind.

From somewhere beside him there came a horrible hacking and retching sound as Zelda struggled to breathe. Her difficulties ceased after some minutes, and then there was the sound of clinking armour as she stood.

She appeared above him, peering down, sword in hand.

"Sorry," she said, lifting the rapier high above her head. "Truly."

She brought the blade down, piercing his chest, stabbing his heart.

Once again he felt the hideous pain of her magic tearing through him, overwhelming his thoughts and senses. His agony was so great that he almost did not realize that he was being moved, as some spell of Zelda's was dragging him across the top of the tower.

"You almost killed me there, old friend," Zelda said, coughing weakly. "Fighting you was the biggest risk I have taken in centuries."

The motion stopped, and Ganondorf lay still upon the icy stone floor. He knew, faintly, that he was laying in one of the three circles in Zelda's great design; it was the place where the Triforce of Power belonged in her formula.

"You almost killed me," she repeated.

He heard Zelda take a few uneasy steps, and then crash to her knees. There was another fit of coughing, followed by many rattling, hoarse breaths. "Indeed, you would have killed me were we anywhere but here. But don't worry, Ganondorf. Everything will be made right."

He watched his life steam away, plumes of it rising from his mouth to be swept away with the snowflakes by the ever-changing winds. Opening his mouth to ask for a quick death, Ganondorf found that he was incapable of speech. So he lay silently, bleeding and dying and watching the snow.

"Such pain," Zelda was saying. "But Link is coming."

Ganondorf did not respond. His breath was growing shallow, and it seemed to be taking more and more effort to draw air into his lungs.

Zelda laughed, a pained, hoarse sound. "Link is coming," she said again. "It will all be over soon."

* * *

Viscen didn't know the man he killed.

The man fought bravely. He stood, shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest, when the doors were smashed open and the rebels poured into Hyrule castle.

He charged, screaming battle cries, and locked swords with Viscen, the man who had been his Commandant a scant few hours ago. Viscen saw the fear in his eyes, and also the rage and the bloodlust that overtake all men in the heat of battle

Viscen opened his abdomen with a short, compact stroke, and the man fell down and died. Another took his place almost immediately, and this one died, too. So did the next one, and the next one, and to Viscen the battle for Hyrule Castle had become nothing more than this, these men who stood their ground and died at the point of his blade.

And then, suddenly, there were no more men in front of him.

The castle was in the hands of the rebels, now, as Zelda's loyalists retreated into the upper levels to make their final stand protecting their princess. In many places the remnants of the Gerudo had already begun to loot anything they could carry and put to the torch anything they could not.

"The battle is over," Vaati said. They stood in one of the castle's many great halls, a wide long chamber of polished stone that was used for feasts, weddings, and other extravagant ceremonies. Today it had been the last corner of Hylian resistance at ground level, and the floor was slick with blood.

Viscen cleaned the blade of his sword on the cloak of a dead man. "Yes, it's over," he agreed. "But then-"

The castle shook suddenly, a tremor so violent that men shielded their heads or grasped at the walls in reflex. It was one of many that had occurred in the past hour, and when it was done Viscen abandoned the sentence that he had nervously begun, so that the two left unsaid the knowledge that was hanging between them.

Nothing they had done here truly mattered. The confrontation that would decide everything, the confrontation that had been written across destiny by the gods themselves, was happening at that very moment.

And Hyrule trembled with its fury.

The tremors ceased, but from far away there came a low rumbling sound that lasted nearly a minute. It was a tower collapsing.

"Form up," Viscen ordered his soldiers. "We need to sweep the castle. Search for any remaining Hylian resistance at city level. Isolate the upper levels, establish barriers. Find out how many of our men still live. And-"

But just then he was interrupted, as one of the doors at the far end of the hall burst open and a soldier came sprinting in, alone. When twenty different men drew swords on her, she stopped, raising her hands up slowly to remove her helm.

Viscen knew her. A captain. She hadn't hesitated when he'd given the order to abandon Zelda and join the side of the rebels. "Karane," he said, gesturing for the Gerudo to stand down. "You have news."

"We've rendezvoused with the sortie force, Commandant Viscen."

He didn't bother to remind her that he'd resigned his post when he'd betrayed the princess. "Link and Midna? You've found them?"

She hesitated. "Link was not with them. And the imp, Midna-"

The castle rocked again, and Karane didn't finish her sentence. But Vaati did. "She's with Zant," he said.

Karane nodded.

"Where?" Viscen demanded.

"The south lawn. Below the steps at the Temple of Nayru."

The wind mage turned to share a brief look with Viscen. "It's a long way," Vaati said. "You're going to have to run."

And he vanished.

Viscen blinked stupidly at the empty air where Vaati had been for a second before regaining his senses and cursing the wind mage aloud. He turned and scowled at his troops. "Well?" He demanded. "Get running!"

* * *

Vaati did not much desire to materialize in the path of a stray fireball, so he chose a spot well away, inside the vestibule of the Temple of Nayru. One of the temple's great doors was swung open, while the remnants of the sortie force took cover behind the other.

He spied a wounded girl, sitting against the wall of the temple and holding her side. Her skin was pale and her eyes sullen, but she did not seem to be dying. "Link? Where's Link?" Vaati demanded of her.

She looked up at him. "Oh, it's you. The other one, yeah?"

"What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes sideways, indicating the open door. "You and him. Zant. You used to be with the princess."

He was irritated by the utter disdain she seemed to be showing him. "Answer my question. Where is Link?"

She looked him in the eye. "I see no reason to tell you." The castle suddenly shuddered again beneath them, and she turned around to stare at the wall behind her as if to reassure herself that it was still in one piece. "But you can probably guess."

She turned back to him, wincing and clutching at the cut in her abdomen- the motion of twisting around had pulled at it. "There were soldiers. Zelda's men, and a lot of them. We were taking casualties, we had too many wounded-"

"_We,_" Vaati repeated, "Who's _we_?"

"Us. Not Link. We were just slowing him down. He went on, and we retreated. That was the last I saw of him."

Vaati glided away from her, having heard everything of value. Ganondorf and Link were inside the castle, with Zelda, but the third piece of the Triforce was still here. Still within his grasp.

He floated through the door, and looked down at the great steps of Nayru and the gardens below.

They were almost unrecognizable, as much of the white marble steps had been blasted away, and what vegetation remained in the gardens had been blackened nearly to ash. Gouts of fire and plumes of darkness flashed back and forth between two flickering shapes, clashing in great roils of flame and shadow.

Midna hovered motionless in the centre of the maelstrom, her magic tracking effortlessly the dancing and vanishing form of Zant, who was almost immaterial, such was his speed. Always he remained one step ahead of Midna's fury, barely escaping death again and again and again.

Until she hesitated.

Then he was upon her, striking Midna with such force that her tiny frame was driven into the ground in a cloud of dirt and ash. "MY PRINCESS!" Vaati could hear his scream even from atop the steps.

Zant drove her into the earth as he wailed, his voice high and keening. "We could have been beautiful!" He shouted, as now the imp escaped his grasp and reappeared fifty metres away, clutching at her head.

"We could have been perfect! We could have struck her down and ruled together! With us the shadow could have consumed all of Hyrule!"

Something in the way that Midna was moving made Vaati uneasy. When he saw that she was injured, he'd begun to move towards her, to strike while she was off-balance. But now he stopped, halfway down the steps, as he saw her hands grabbing at her helmet and pulling it _down_, over her face.

No- she wasn't pulling down on her helmet.

More stone was appearing beneath her hands as she moved them. Midna's stone helm was now a mask that covered her entire face, and Zant, now realizing that something was amiss, was pressing his attack again.

A mace appeared in his hand, a black thing made of obsidian, and where it struck Midna's head it blasted away the stone that covered it. Vaati saw her eyes, both of them, wide and bright with fury.

Then they were covered again. The stone was growing on its own now, without the aid of her hands, spreading until it was a suit of armour that concealed Midna completely.

Light exploded from the imp's tiny form, so bright that Vaati's eyes were blinded and his skin was seared, even from atop the steps. He threw a hand over his eyes and turned away, and when he managed to blink away the tears and regain his vision, Midna had become completely unrecognizable.

She was a creature of light and shadow, a huge many-legged form that burned with power. Zant was panicking now, retreating and flinging magic at the monster that Midna had now become. The attacks fizzled against her, brief flickers against blinding luminescence.

Vaati watched, stunned into silence by the magnitude of power he was witnessing. _This is too much power for her. She will burn._

But she didn't, somehow. A giant fist closed around the form of Zant, lifting him high into the air. The vizier struggled, uselessly, as Midna simply watched him.

"I loved you once," she said, quietly, her words stolen by the wind. Only Vaati heard them.

And then a hundred shadowy needles burst forth from the creature that Midna had become and pierced the body of Zant. The vizier's stone helm shattered and the darkness boiled forth from his mouth, his eyes, and his ears, until his form was completely enveloped by darkness.

The shadow spread, so that it now enveloped the many-legged form of Midna, and for a moment it was as though Vaati was looking upon Zelda's nameless monstrosity once more, dark and terrible.

Then the shadow was gone, like smoke on the wind, and from beneath it the childlike figure of Midna was revealed, once again in the form of an imp with flaming hair.

Vaati floated alone at the top of the steps, staring down at her dumbfounded, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. _Is this what it means to wield the Triforce?_

He had come here ready to join forces with Zant- to kill Midna and take the Triforce of Wisdom for himself. But he knew now that not even the two of them together would have been a match for her.

Midna turned suddenly and looked up, and a chill ran down Vaati's spine. She could kill him, easily, and he was standing out in the open with no place to hide. Had she been aware of his presence the whole time?

But then he realized. She wasn't looking at him- she was looking past him, up at the spires of Hyrule Castle. Whatever she saw there clearly alarmed her, for she almost immediately shot up into the air and sped toward the castle in a flash of flames.

Vaati now scanned the tower, looking for whatever it was that Midna had seen.

He found it.

He was still staring a few minutes later when the clanging of sword and armour announced the arrival of Viscen and his troops. "What are you staring at?" Viscen asked, out of breath from his dash across the castle.

"Look, there," Vaati said, pointing upwards. "At the Tower of the Gods."

There was a moment's silence as Viscen took in what he was seeing. And then he let his sword fall from his hands, and reached up to undo the buckles that held on his breastplate.

"Sir?" One of the soldiers was speaking. "Commandant Viscen, sir, what do we do now?"

"We wait," Viscen aswered him. "We wait and we pray that Link does not fail us."

* * *

His hands were both slick with blood, but the Master Sword itself remained pristine, shining and unstained. Blood and bile were each boiled away as they touched the blade, seared by the magic of the sword.

"That's a fine blade you have there," Rusl said. "The finest I have even laid eyes on. I am blessed to have seen its like in my lifetime, I know."

"Rusl," Link said, "You don't have to do this."

"And the goddesses could not have chosen a finer man to wield it," the old knight continued. He stood at the far end of the throne room, at the bottom of the dais. His own gilded blade was still in its sheath.

Link walked forward slowly, deliberately. Another jolt of pain shot through his body, and a vision of lightning melting snowflakes from the air floated before his eyes. The pain and the visions had been getting stronger, more demanding, the higher he climbed. The piece of the Triforce within him was sensitive to the struggles endured by its siblings.

"Rusl," he said, his voice calm even as the ghost of a sword bit into his side. "I must get to the top of the tower. If I don't, every man, woman, and child in Hyrule could die. Please, listen to reason."

All the way through the corridors and staircases of Hyrule Castle, this was how he had approached the men who barred his way. He had left in peace the soldiers who threw down their arms and cut down the ones who stood their ground, as Rusl was standing his ground now.

"I swore an oath," Rusl laid a hand on the hilt of his blade, but did not draw. "A oath to serve the Princess, until death release me from her service. It is an oath I mean to keep."

"Please," Link exhorted. "Please, I don't have time for this. You are a man of honour- do the right thing, and let me pass. You _know_ Zelda is insane. Do not throw your life away."

"My honour died with my son," Rusl said. "This is all that I have left."

There was another burst of pain, and this time the castle trembled to accompany it. He was running out of time. "So be it," Link said through gritted teeth, and he charged forward.

Rusl's blade flickered out of its sheath and moved with such speed that Link barely saw it before he felt the impact it made with his own. Just as quickly the old knight parried, and then attacked with such expert precision that Link was forced to draw back, out of range.

He looked into Rusl's eyes and saw nothing there- they were the eyes of a dead man, emotionless and cold. There would be no more talking, Link knew. This fight was to the death.

The phantom pains were constant now, as the battle raged atop the tower of the gods, and growing ever more insistent. They threatened to engulf Link's senses completely. He had to end this fast.

Link lowered his sword. He breathed deeply, letting the power of the Triforce run through him, and drawing upon it.

Rusl took a step forward. His arms tensed, drawing back his sword to strike a blow that would cleave through Link's chainmail and cut deeply into his unguarded side.

Still, Link did not raise his blade to defend himself. Rusl's sword was moving forward now, cold steel cutting through the air as it travelled along its arc.

Link blocked it effortlessly, the Triforce guiding his hand as the Master Sword snapped up to catch the blow. His counterattack, reflexive and lightning-swift, was similarly parried, and the two traded blows in a flurry of steel.

Rusl was defending, not attacking, he soon realized. The former Commandant fought conservatively, keeping his guard close, working to prolong the battle.

It was as though Link were in two places at once- his sword rang and his arm trembled as he fought across the smooth floor of the throne room, but he could feel the cold wind on the tower far above. He cried out in pain as he felt the ghosts of the wounds that Zelda and Ganondorf were inflicting upon each other.

"Rusl," Link said. "Please." The agony was so great that he could barely speak, and yet still he fought. The Triforce sustained him, its power coursing through his blood and radiating from his bones.

Rusl fought in silence, methodically blocking each attack but in turn. He occasionally made an attempt to attack Link, but these were infrequent, and easily turned aside.

True to form, the old knight was obeying his last order. Rusl knew that he was going to die, and was concerned with nothing other than wasting as much of Link's time as possible. The stratagem was working- this fight had taken much too long already.

_I have to get past him, _was all the Link could think._ I'm running out of time. I'm-_

And then suddenly he couldn't think, because that was when it happened.

He felt his ribs break, his spine shatter, his lungs collapse. He tried to draw breath but could not. He felt death clawing at the edges of his sight.

_I'm too late_, was all that he could think.

_I'm too late_.

Atop the Tower of the Gods, one of his siblings was dying. He was feeling their pain now, more pain than he had ever felt before, in this life or any other. The agony overwhelmed him completely- but he did not collapse.

Instead, his hands moved of their own accord. Through the haze of pain he saw his arms swing and the Master Sword shine as it flickered out, cutting through Rusl's gilded sword as though it was nothing.

Rusl died with an expression of surprise on his face, as his side was rent open and his life spilled out from between his fingers.

Link was dimly aware of what he had done, too preoccupied with the pain that had overwhelmed all awareness. He took a few agonized steps forward and then sank to the floor, finally surrendering to the darkness at the limits of his vision.

His consciousness slipped away, and all was mercifully quiet for a while.

* * *

She was restless.

Zelda paced about the tower endlessly, unable to tolerate the waiting or the silence. She spoke, too, sporadically voicing random thoughts to Ganondorf as he lay motionless on the ground.

Or perhaps she was speaking to no one, and he was overhearing her by chance.

"Our destiny has eluded us," she said. "In every life- every reality- it slips through our fingers. We cannot grasp it."

He heard the sound of her greaves ringing against the stone near his head as she passed him. _I should be dead by now_, he thought.

"Again and again we die. Die and are reborn. We cannot escape this."

Ganondorf clenched his fingers. He was not yet strong enough to turn his head, but he could feel his hand opening and closing. _She is not letting me die. This magic is keeping me alive. _He could sense it too, the enchantment snaking its way through his veins and working to keep his blood pumping and his lungs filled with air.

"You tried, old friend. And you nearly succeeded."

So she was talking to him. He opened his eyes to find Zelda peering down at him, her gorget unfastened as her free hand rubbed at her throat. Ganondorf could see deep purple bruises beneath her white fingers, and could sense pain in her voice.

"But you always died, in the end. Thanks to Link, or to me. You always died." She walked away again.

"That is our destiny," he said. Ganondorf was surprised at the clarity of his voice- what he had expected to be a strained whisper rang out loud and clear. "To die."

Zelda reappeared. "Death is failure. What sort of gods are we if we are mortal?"

This time he kept his silence.

She continued. "You failed because you tried alone. We are three parts of one whole, and we are meant to rise together."

"Together?" He laughed. "You stand over me, sword in hand. This is not 'together,' Zelda."

She smiled at this, a small pitying smile. "You are here, and you are alive. The Triforce of Power will occupy its place in the array. That will be enough."

And it was true. Ganondorf could feel the great enchantment beginning its work, drawing upon the magic within him and growing ever stronger. He was a part of Hyrule now, as Zelda had been for so many centuries.

The castle grounds had fallen silent now, the battle ended, and the only sound atop the tower of the gods was the howling of the wind. Ganondorf's voice cut through it, its tone final.

"You've become the monster that I used to be. You have damned yourself to the same hell that I now live."

She smiled at this, too. "I should think that will only happen if I fail."

"You already have."

With these words Ganondorf summoned all of the magic that was left in him, pouring it into the Zelda's enchantment, crying out with the pain of it. The spell responded, drinking the power of the Triforce greedily.

The castle trembled, and the tracework that covered the floor beneath their feet shone with golden fire.

And Ganondorf rose.

For a moment she was too stunned to even react. He knew then that it was over, as she simply stared in mute disbelief, her face frozen in shock and horror.

His greatsword had been left where it had fallen, some twenty metres away on the other side of the tower. As he brought his arms together, the blade disappeared, vanishing into nothingness and at the same time rematerializing in Ganondorf's hands just as they began their arc forwards.

He struck her high, in the chest, the blade crushing the plate and collapsing the ribcage. Zelda opened her mouth, but blood spilled out instead of words.

She staggered backwards, her magic crackling about her torso as it tried to heal itself. Zelda's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she tried desperately to draw air into her crushed lungs. Her face was fear now, and incomprehension.

This time Ganondorf took the time to set his feet, to draw his arms all the way back and swing with all of his strength. The sword crashed into Zelda's chest again, staving in her armour completely. Blood now began to run freely from the joints in her plate, and Princess Zelda collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

The sword clattered at his feet, its work done.

Ganondorf knelt, and raised her head up off the ground. He brushed Zelda's hair away from her face, and her blue eyes stared up at him, wide and terrified. Sparks of magic were still flickering over her skin, but their light was slowly dimming. The magic was prolonging her agony, denying her the mercy of a quick death.

"I'm sorry, Zelda. My old friend. I am so sorry."

Zelda's mouth was moving, trying to form words. Whether she was apologizing to him or cursing him, he could not tell.

He held her until she died.

Ganondorf remained there for a long time, kneeling upon the ground with Princess Zelda in his arms. When the snowflakes on her face stopped melting, he stood, and with one hand tore down one of the great crimson banners that hung from the pillars that ringed the tower.

Using a corner of the fabric, he wiped away the blood from Zelda's mouth and nose. "Forgive me for this. You deserve better."

He looped the banner twice around her, underneath her arms, and then tied the other end of it to the stone balustrade at the tower's edge. He eased the body down gently, keeping a hold on the banner and measuring it out in lengths.

When it was done the body of Princess Zelda hung from the Tower of the Gods for all of Hyrule to see, swaying at the end of a banner bearing her own royal sigil.

Ganondorf turned away, the fatigue of the battle catching up to him in a sudden rush. His own wounds still burned with the remnants of Zelda's magic, and he could feel the phantoms of her own pain added on to his own, communicated through the magic of the Triforce.

_I suppose I am King of Hyrule now,_ he thought. But the thought brought him no happiness, or satisfaction, only a sense of emptiness. _Perhaps I have finally defeated the monster that I used to be_.

He was tired. Slumping up against one of the great stone pillars he sank to the ground, staring at the grey sky and the whirling snowflakes.

Tears stung his cheeks, and he found himself relieved that he was still capable of feeling grief for the death of a friend. _So I am not inhuman after all._

"So it's over."

He didn't remember closing his eyes, but he must have. Ganondorf opened them to find Midna floating at the edge of the tower, looking down at the body hanging below. "We won," she said, looking up. She was smiling.

"We won," Ganondorf agreed, but there was no joy in his words.

Midna glided past him, examining the carvings in the floor. It took her a moment or so, but she gasped when finally realized what she was looking at. "This is-"

"Zelda's undoing," Ganondorf finished. "She was arrogant. She thought that the Triforce would obey her, and only her. She thought that she could control it."

"How do you mean?" Midna asked.

"The spell requires all three pieces of the Triforce to be complete. Zelda intended to take those pieces- to force us to assume our positions in the array, and draw upon our power to make herself a god."

"Why didn't it work?"

"Because of you."

She floated back into his field of vision. "Because of this?" She held up her hand, examining the golden triangle that shone there.

Ganondorf nodded weakly. "Yes. Zelda's enchantment would have worked flawlessly, but for one thing- she no longer possessed the Triforce of Wisdom. And when her enchantment began its work, it drew power not from her, but from me. And power flows both ways."

With some effort, Ganondorf raised his arm and clenched his fist, showing Midna that the Triforce of Power still burned strong within him. "Zelda believed that she and the Triforce of Wisdom were one, inseparable, entity. She was proud. She did not think that her own magic could be used against her."

"But you used it."

"I did. The magic responded to the Triforce. In the end it did what it was made to do."

Midna continued to examine her hand. She drew upon the Triforce, and the circles on the ground began to glow faintly. "We did it," she said. "Zelda is dead. Hyrule is ours!" Her smile widened, so that she was grinning widely now. "And so is the Triforce. You, and me, and Link- we hold all three pieces! We can-"

"No," he cut her off immediately. "The three pieces of the Triforce must remain separate."

Midna's smile vanished. "But why? Think of what we could do!"

He chuckled weakly. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Ganondorf! I know you're afraid of who you used to be- but you're different now. The three of us, together, could use the Triforce for good. Our people could live again- the Gerudo, the Twili- we could bring them back!"

This made him think for a moment. But then he glanced at Midna, and saw the untempered desire shining in her one visible eye. "No," he said. "What's dead is dead. Life and death are beyond our control, and playing god will only bring us misfortune."

"You can't _know_ that!" She exhorted. He could hear in her voice how badly she wanted this.

"I can know," Ganondorf said flatly. "I have lived that life. And so did Zelda. You must trust me, Midna- we cannot bring our people back."

She turned away from him, and glided to the balustrade again. Looking down on Hyrule, she asked, "So what now?"

"We wait for Link to get here," he said. "And then we leave Hyrule forever."

Her body stiffened. "Leave Hyrule? Are you mad? We just fought a war to liberate this city!"

"And we have succeeded. There is no more for us here. My job is done. Let Hyrule govern itself."

As he said these words, he felt a great peace wash over him. This, he felt, was the right thing to do- to relinquish his chance to be king, to walk away from all this power and never look back. _This one thing I can do right._

"So what will you do? Where will you go?" Midna asked. She continued to stare down at the castle grounds, far below.

"North, I think. To speak with the god Valoo once more. I have a question for him."

"And what is that?"

"If there is a way to rid myself, now and forever, of the power of the Triforce." He waited for her response, but none came, so he continued. "If the thing can be destroyed, so much the better. Such power was not meant to be in the hands of mortals, and as long as it exists, in this world or any other, only evil will come of it."

"Link would agree with you," Midna said quietly. "He would think it was the right thing to do."

"I believe so," Ganondorf agreed. Some of his strength was finally beginning to return to him, and he slowly stood. "And I am glad that you think so too. You see-"

But he spoke no more, for at that moment Midna whirled around, her arms slashing forward in a savage gesture.

Blackness poured forth from her hands, a plume of shadow that covered the distance between them in an instant and tore through Ganondorf's chest.

He was slammed backwards into the pillar and pinned against it, as more and more darkness flowed from Midna and into him. When he opened his mouth to speak only shadows issued forth, and the golden sigil on his hand flickered and went out.

Ganondorf looked at Midna. His eyes did not hold any anger, or sadness, or confusion. Only pity.

She lowered her arms to her side, and the shadows holding him upright vanished. Sliding down the pillar, he collapsed in a heap on the floor with one final crash of metal. He sighed slowly, his breath a thin cloud of steam.

Then Ganondorf closed his eyes, and died.


End file.
